Kokomo Police Department, Indiana
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 22, 1877
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 3 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 22, 1877
Weapon Used: Handgun; Revolver
Suspect Info: Died while on parole
Patrolman Thomas Lannon was shot and killed at the Junction Depot platform after being ambushed by a suspect he had arrested four weeks earlier.
As Patrolman Lannon spoke with a friend the suspect approached from behind and opened fire on him without warning, striking him twice. The suspect fled the scene, but turned himself in a short time later.
The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 1878, the governor granted clemency four days before the execution and commuted the offender's death sentence to life in prison. After serving nearly 22 years, he was granted parole and died in 1902.
Patrolman Lannon had served with the Kokomo Police Department for only three months. He was single and survived by two sisters.