Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Indiana
End of Watch: Friday, December 26, 1975
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 6 months
Badge Number: 37
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 26, 1975
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Reserve Deputy Thomas Dunigan was shot and killed while attempting to stop a bank robbery suspect.
He was off duty visiting the county jail when the bank robbery call was reported. Reserve Deputy Dunigan took a reserve patrol car and responded to the scene. Another deputy spotted the suspect vehicle heading in the opposite direction but could not turn around to follow it due to snow in the median. The deputy transmitted the suspect's direction and Reserve Deputy Dunigan waited for the suspect at an exit.
Several minutes later a passer-by made a radio transmission that an officer had been shot. Reserve Deputy Dunigan was found by other officers with a shotgun wound to the head.
The suspect was later apprehended and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Reserve Deputy Dunigan and 20 years for the bank robbery. He was again denied parole in November 2010. In December 2011 the subject died while still in prison.
Reserve Deputy Dunigan had served with the Morgan County Sheriff's Department for 1½ years. He is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.