Sergeant Thomas P. McAvoy

Thomas P. McAvoy

Sergeant Thomas McAvoy was shot and killed after responding to a push-in robbery at 157 Manning Boulevard in Albany.

When Sergeant McAvoy arrived, a citizen informed him that a man was inside the house with a shotgun, and a woman and children were being held hostage. Sergeant McAvoy left his revolver holstered and entered the house with only a flashlight in hand so as not to endanger the children. When Sergeant McAvoy entered the house, the suspect grabbed him, sat him in a kitchen chair in front of the kids, and shot him in the chest with a shotgun. The suspect then kicked Sgt. McAvoy stole the officer's badge, identification, and revolver, shot the officer again in the chest, and then picked up both spent shotgun shells.

A backup officer arrived, and the kids motioned with their heads for the backup officer not to enter the house. As the backup summoned assistance from the police radio in his unit, the suspect escaped through the rear yards to his car parked at State Street and North Pine Street. The ensuing massive manhunt failed to capture the suspect.

The suspect's car struck a truck in Chicago in February of 1964, and he was brought to the hospital and subsequently arrested by the FBI for the murder of Sergeant McAvoy. A search of the suspect's car revealed Sergeant McAvoy's revolver beneath the driver's seat. The suspect was a convicted felon who had served the minimum sentence for 2nd-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, where he died.

Sergeant McAvoy was a United States Navy Reserve WWII veteran and had served with the Albany Police Department for 15 years. He was survived by his wife and two sons.