Officer Down Memorial Page - http://www.odmp.org

Officer Martin Douglas Chivas | Troy Police Department, Michigan
Troy Police Department, Michigan

Officer

Martin Douglas Chivas

Troy Police Department, Michigan

End of Watch: Monday, April 22, 1974

Biographical Info

Age: 24
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 22, 1974
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life

Officer Martin Chivas was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious person call at a gas station.

The suspicious people were actually two escaped prisoners who shot and killed Officer Chivas as soon as he stepped out of his patrol car. He was transported to the Beaumont Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

Both suspects were captured a short time later. The suspects had escaped from the Marquette, Michigan, prison farm 72 hours earlier. Before killing Officer Chivas, they kidnapped and killed a Marquette waitress and killed a 17-year-old service station attendant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Both suspects, 26 and 29, were convicted of Officer Chivas' murder and were sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole on November 1, 1974. As of October 25, 2022, the youngest was still in prison.

Officer Chivas had served with the Troy Police Department for three years. He was survived by his parents.