San Mateo Police Department, California
End of Watch: Thursday, May 23, 1968
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 23, 1968
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Sergeant Gordon Joinville was shot and killed while investigating the theft of a large amount of chemicals used in the production of LSD.
During the investigation he located a suspect at 5th and Claremont Streets. He requested a computer check on the subject but was told to standby due to high priority radio traffic. After that last transmission the suspect shot Sergeant Joinville twice before fleeing. The man was apprehended the following day as a result of an investigation in which the main clue was a license plate number Sergeant Joinville had written down on his clipboard.
On February 4th, 1969, the suspect was sentenced to death but the sentence was later commuted to life. He died in prison in 2006.
On October 5th, 1968, the Joinville Swim Center was opened on Kehoe Avenue in his honor. Sergeant Joinville had served with the San Mateo Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by his wife and two children.