Steubenville Police Department, Ohio
End of Watch: Friday, July 21, 1972
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Fire
Date of Incident: June 27, 1972
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Patrolman Leonard Lamatrice was killed as the result of burns sustained after he and Patrolman Thomas McGough responded to an accident on Stony Hollow Boulevard. A tanker truck had overturned on the bottom of a hill. As the two officers exited their patrol car the spilled gasoline caught fire and both officers were engulfed by the flames.
Patrolman Lamatrice died of his injuries five weeks after the accident. Patrolman McGough suffered burns over 75 percent of his body and died six weeks later.
Patrolman Lamatrice was a US Army veteran and had served with the Steubenville Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by his wife, three children, parents, sister, and brother.