Officer Frank Dennis Mancini

Frank Dennis Mancini

Officer Frank Mancini succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained 46 years earlier as he and two other officers attempted to arrest robbery suspects.

On April 10, 1965, Officer Mancini and Officer Eugene Hooper were searching a vehicle on East Avenue past Silvercrest Avenue when one of the subjects was able to gain control of his weapon. The subject shot Officer Hooper, Officer Frank Mancini, and Reserve Officer Wintrow.

A truck driver who came upon the scene used their police radio to call for help. Both subjects, ages 25, were captured at their apartment four hours later.

The shooter, who was a parolee, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder and sentenced to two life terms in prison. He was denied parole in 2010 and again in 2014. He died in prison on October 18, 2017. His accomplice, also on parole, was convicted of second-degree murder. He was paroled in 1977.

Officer Mancini was paralyzed from the chest down. He succumbed to his wounds on January 23, 2012.

Officer Mancini was a United States Coast Guard veteran and had served with the Akron Police Department for only one year at the time of the shooting. He was survived by his sisters.

In Akron, the Frank Mancini Award is given to civilians who assist police officers in a heroic way.