Union City Police Department, New Jersey
End of Watch: Thursday, July 10, 1947
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Badge Number: 41
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 10, 1947
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 30 years
Sergeant Arthur McKenna was shot and killed with his own service weapon after being assaulted in an unprovoked attack.
He was on duty at approximately 2:00 am, eating breakfast at a local diner on 38th Street, when a man walked up behind him, grabbed his gun, and shot him twice in the back. Two nearby officers who heard the shots ran into the diner and arrested the man, who was later learned to be a self-proclaimed cop-hater.
Sergeant McKenna was taken to North Hudson Hospital, where he died a short time later.
The suspect, 22, was apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was denied parole on June 13, 1958.
Sergeant McKenna was a United States World War I veteran and served with the Union City Police Department for 21 years.