San Francisco Police Department, California
End of Watch: Thursday, May 1, 1969
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 1, 1969
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Acquitted
Officer Joseph Brodnik was shot and killed when he and his partner stopped two suspicious youths at 431 Alvarado Street.
Officer Brodnik and his partner were working a burglary suppression unit in plain clothes and were operating an unmarked car in the Mission District.
The suspects were part of a larger group of seven juveniles, and they had just committed a daytime burglary. During the confrontation, one of the youths grabbed Officer Brodnik's partner's gun and shot Officer Brodnik, killing him. His partner sustained severe injuries from being beaten by the juveniles.
Six suspects were arrested and acquitted at trial. The seventh suspect fled the country. The suspect believed to have killed Officer Brodnik was later killed in prison. He had been sent to prison for committing an armed robbery in which he was shot and wounded by a San Francisco police officer.
Officer Brodnik had served with the San Francisco Police Department for 13 years. He is survived by his wife and three children. One of Officer Brodnik's sons later became a San Francisco police officer.