Police Officer James Nathaniel Mason

James Nathaniel Mason

Police Officer James Mason succumbed to a gunshot wound received three days earlier.

Officer Mason was ambushed while he sat in his patrol car writing paperwork. His patrol car was positioned under a street light near the Mantua Hall Housing Project when he was shot. He and his partner had just settled a disturbance call.

An 18-year-old youth was arrested and charged with his murder. Although the suspect confessed to police that he shot Officer Mason, his trial resulted in an acquittal a year later. The case remains unsolved.

Officer Mason was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife and two children.