Sergeant Henry Joseph "Hank" Daly

Henry Joseph "Hank" Daly

Sergeant Hank Daly was shot and killed after a gunman entered the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW.

The man rode the elevator up to the third floor and then entered the Cold Case Squad room. As he entered, Sergeant Daly confronted him to ask if he needed anything. The suspect then pulled out an automatic weapon and shot Sergeant Daly at point-blank range, killing him instantly. He then opened fire on the three FBI agents in the room, as they returned fire. Special Agents Martha Dixon Martinez and Michael John Miller were killed inside of the room and the third agent was shot and seriously wounded. Agent Martinez was able to shoot the suspect but did not kill him. The suspect ultimately took Agent Martinez's gun and killed himself.

The suspect had previously been a suspect in a triple homicide. After being questioned several times by detectives, he was cleared, but members of the suspects gang labeled him a snitch. In order to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow gang members, he decided to kill a police officer. A further investigation revealed that the suspect entered the Cold Case Squad office by mistake and was looking for the Homicide Squad office.

After an extensive investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the gun that was used by the suspect was traced back to a man in Kentucky who was illegally selling guns to convicted criminals. That man was eventually sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

Sergeant Daly had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 28 years and had previously served in the United States Marine Corps. He was survived by his wife and two children.

The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters was later renamed The Henry J. Daly Building in his honor.