Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Saturday, December 31, 1949
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: 3184
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 30, 1949
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced commuted to life
Police Officer George Mitchell succumbed to a gunshot wound when he was shot by two robbers while he and another officer were on stakeout duty in a grocery store at Gratz and Berks streets.
At 6:00 p.m. on December 30, 1949, two men entered the store and robbed a cashier of $70.00. When Officer Mitchell arrived one of the subjects pulled out a gun and shot Officer Mitchell. The other officer chased the subjects, but they evaded capture.
Officer Mitchell was transported to the Homeopathic Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds the next day.
Five weeks later, two men, 24 and 33, arrested a week earlier for another crime, confessed to the robbery. The younger said he shot Officer Mitchell and was also identified by the cashier. The older suspect was sentenced to life and the younger to death. In 1955, his sentence was commuted to life.
Officer Mitchell was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and served with the Philadelphia Police Department for four years. He was the father of two small children.