MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The death of Memphis Police Officer Sean Bolton on Saturday marks the 72nd death of an MPD officer in the line of duty since 1860.
Forty of those, including Bolton’s, were due to nonaccidental gunfire.
The most recent officer killed in the line of duty was patrolman Martoiya Lang, the only fallen female officer to date. Lang was shot while serving a narcotics search warrant on Mendenhall Court in December 2012. Her partner was also shot but survived. The shooter was wounded in the fire fight.
Patrolman Timothy Warren also died during a shooting, this time while responding to a domestic dispute and shooting at a hotel in July 2011. The suspect was taken into custody and was sentenced in January 2014 to life in prison without parole.
A car accident took patrolman Marlon Titus’ life when he lost control of his vehicle while responding as backup to another officer in March 2004.
Like Warren, patrolman Anthony Woods was also responding to a domestic violence call when he was shot in August 2003. When Woods arrived at the scene, the suspect shot a woman inside, leading to a struggle between Woods and the suspect that ended in Woods being shot four times. The suspect tried to escape but was confronted by another officer and committed suicide.
The first officer slain this century was Officer Clayton Hicks Jr. Hicks was off duty when someone recognized him as an officer who almost arrested her for a domestic violence charge. The woman’s boyfriend argued with Hicks and shot him. Both suspects were arrested, and the killer was found guilty of reckless homicide.