Chatham County Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch: Saturday, March 20, 1976
Age: 24
Tour of Duty: 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 20, 1976
Weapon Used: Shotgun; 12 gauge
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Police Officer Daniel Hodgson was shot and killed as he and four other officers attempted to subdue a man who had been firing a gun in a residential neighborhood on Stuyvesant Street.
When the officers arrived the man ran into his house and hid in a closet. As the officers searched for him inside the home he pointed the shotgun out of the closet and fired two shots. The first shot wounded two of the other officers. The second shot struck Officer Hodgson in the chest, killing him.
The suspect was taken into custody eight hours later. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Officer Hodgson and to 30 years for the aggravated assault of three of the other officers.
Officer Hodgson had only served with the Chatham County Police Department for six months. He was survived by his parents.
A street in Savannah was named Hodgson Memorial Drive in his honor.