Lieutenant Daniel Shea

Daniel Shea

Lieutenant Daniel Shea succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained almost 13 years earlier while attempting to apprehend a burglary suspect at 63 Hawthorne Avenue.

A neighbor called him at home on July 9th, 1913, to inform him that she had observed two suspicious men enter a home across the street from their houses. Lieutenant Shea's niece also observed the men and asked him to investigate. Knowing the homeowners were on vacation, Lieutenant Shea checked the perimeter of the home and discovered that the rear door and been forced open.

He returned home and called the local police precinct to report the incident. As he hung up his niece informed him that two men were exiting the house. He picked up his billy club and approached one of the men, who had jumped a fence into another yard. The man suddenly produced a revolver and shot him in the chest. Despite being wounded, Lieutenant Shea chased him a short distance until the injury prevented him from going any further.

His niece and several citizens chased the man for several blocks until he was apprehended by a motor officer. The man plead guilty of two charges and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. His accomplice was never captured.

Lieutenant Shea never fully recovered and remained on desk duty for the remainder of his career. He died on April 6th, 1926, as a direct result of the gunshot wound sustained in 1913.