Officer George Neal Ramsburg, Maryland Aviation Administration Police Department, Maryland

Officer George Neal Ramsburg

Maryland Aviation Administration Police Department, Maryland

End of Watch Friday, February 22, 1974

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George Neal Ramsburg

Officer George Ramsburg was shot and killed during a hijacking attempt when he confronted a hijacker at one of the gates at Baltimore Washington International Airport.

The suspect intended to hijack a plane and crash it into the White House in an attempt to kill President Richard Nixon. After shooting Officer Ramsburg, the suspect entered a commercial airline flight and ordered the pilot to take off. When the pilot refused, the suspect opened fire, killing the co-pilot and wounding the pilot. The suspect then took one of the passengers as a hostage.

Another officer arrived on the scene and shot the suspect through one of the airplane's windows, striking him in the chest. The hostage then broke free, and the suspect committed suicide.

Officer Ramsburg was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Maryland Aviation Administration Police Department for 11 months. He was survived by his parents, sister, and two brothers.

Bio

Age 24
Tour 11 months
Badge 129
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .22 caliber
Offender Committed suicide

terrorism

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Neal;
I was working on the dispatch desk the morning a man came running in to report shots fired at a terminal. I was a new employee and shaking and couldn't really believe the situation. Not a day has gone by since then that I haven't thought of you and my officers. In my heart forever. RIP.

Virginia Nuckolls Strait
BWI dispatcher

March 28, 2024