Boston Police Department, Massachusetts
End of Watch: Thursday, February 18, 1988
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 567
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 17, 1988
Weapon Used: Handgun; .45 caliber
Suspect Info: Deported
Detective Sherman Griffiths was shot and killed while serving a narcotics warrant at an apartment, at 104 Bellevue Street, with other officers in the Drug Control Unit.
As Detective Griffiths attempted to hammer down the door with a sledgehammer, shots were fired from inside and he was struck once in the head. The suspect and weapon were found inside of an adjoining apartment. Detective Griffiths succumbed to his wounds the next morning.
The suspect, an illegal immigrant, was acquitted of murder charges in 1990 after his trial was moved to a different part of the state in a change-of-venue. After the trial, the INS deported him back to his native Jamaica.
Detective Griffiths was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Boston Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. Following his murder, five of his brothers joined the Boston Police Department as police officers.