In May 2018, eighteen law enforcement officers across the United States died in the line of duty - the highest monthly total this year. Of those eighteen officers, eight died in auto-related incidents (five auto crashes, one was struck by a vehicle, one was the victim of vehicular assault, one died in a vehicle pursuit). Four of the eighteen line of duty deaths in May were the result of heart attacks, three were the result of gunfire, and three were the died of 9/11-related illnesses.
As of the end of May, a total of 66 officers have died in the line of duty this year, a 6.5% increase over this time last year. This is the first point in 2018 that year-to-date line of duty deaths have outpaced those of 2017.
The Officer Down Memorial Page extends our condolences to the families, friends, and agencies who lost a loved on to a line of duty death in May 2018.
Please take a moment to read their memorials and remember the fallen.
Police Officer Robert Shawn Pitts
Terre Haute Police Department, IN
Agent Joel Alexis Pantojas-Fuente
San Juan Police Department, PR
Highlands County Sheriff's Office, FL
York City Police Department, PA
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Office of Inspector General, TX
Police Officer Lance C. Whitaker
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, FL
Raleigh Police Department, MS
Daytona Beach Police Department, FL
Sergeant Kent Swanson
Shelley Police Department, ID
Police Officer Ayrian Williams
Monroe Police Department, LA
Baltimore County Police Department, MD
North Carolina Highway Patrol, NC
New York City Police Department, NY
Senior Special Agent Paul Scott Ragsdale
U.S. Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Gov't
Savannah Police Department, GA
U.S. Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Gov't
Sergeant Daniel Baker
Dickson County Sheriff's Office, TN
Connecticut State Police, CT