Atlanta Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch: Thursday, April 4, 1974
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: 2803
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: April 4, 1974
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Robert Dale accidentally shot himself while serving a search warrant.
Officer Dale who was normally on helicopter flight assignments, but due to bad weather, was assisting the fugitive squad. While serving a warrant to a man they thought was harboring a fugitive; he was leaning inside the opening with the 9 mm weapon in his right hand and his flashlight in his left when he bumped the hammer against the door jamb, causing it to discharge. The bullet hit him in the left side of the chest, fatally wounding him.
The fugitive was found in another apartment, and five men were arrested for obstructing an officer.
Officer Dale was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Atlanta Police Department for 3 years. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.