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Police Officer Joseph Allen Coghill | Dormont Borough Police Department, Pennsylvania
Dormont Borough Police Department, Pennsylvania

Police Officer

Joseph Allen Coghill

Dormont Borough Police Department, Pennsylvania

End of Watch: Sunday, December 25, 1921

Biographical Info

Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 25, 1921
Weapon Used: Handgun; Revolver
Suspect Info: Died in prison

Officer Coghill was shot and killed after he and another officer arrested two men suspected of being involved in a burglary. The two men were placed in a patrol wagon to be taken to jail. One of the men drew a concealed revolver and fired three shots. Officer Coghill was fatally wounded and the other officer was grazed by a round.

The suspect was sentenced to death but the sentence was later commuted to life in prison. He was died in prison when he was accidentally crushed by a service truck at the prison's loading dock.

Officer Coghill was a US Army veteran of WWI. He had served in law enforcement for two years and was survived by his wife.