Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 29, 1985
Age: 30
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 29, 1985
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Convicted of First-Degree Murder
Sergeant Joseph Cournoyer was shot and killed while questioning a suspect who had just robbed a store.
Sergeant Cournoyer observed one of the men board a Metro bus near the Minnesota Avenue Metro station and escorted him off of the bus for identification purposes. The suspect began to struggle with Sergeant Cournoyer and drew a gun and shot him in the chest. The suspect was sentenced to first-degree murder in August 1985. The jury took less than an hour to convict him.
Sergeant Cournoyer had been with the agency for six years and was survived by his wife.