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Officer

Gregory Joseph Sorenson

Daytona Beach Police Department — Daytona Beach, FL

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch July 26, 1982

Age 42

Tour of Duty 12 yrs

The Vigil Panel 277 · Column 3 · Line 8 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Military Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 10

Incident

Officer Gregory Sorenson succumbed to injuries sustained 18 months earlier when he was dragged by a car driven by a man he was attempting to arrest for drug dealing in Daytona Beach. He was off duty at the time, and the managers of a club at 400 Broadway requested his help with a disturbance in the parking lot at 2:45 a.m. As he was checking the IDs of the men who waved a gun at the bouncers, one of the men reached down in the car, and Officer Sorenson grabbed him to defend himself. The driver sped away while Officer Sorenson was still struggling with the subject. The driver reached speeds of 80 miles per hour when one of the subjects pried him off the window. He suffered massive head and chest injuries and was in a coma until his death in July 1982. The suspects were acquitted of assault and never charged with his murder. Officer Sorenson was a United States Army Vietnam War Purple Heart veteran, having been shot in the face. He served with the Daytona Beach Police Department for 12 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and son.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Gregory is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Sorenson gave the Daytona Beach Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Daytona Beach community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Daytona Beach Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Daytona Beach, Volusia County, FL

Platform Identity dbpd.volusia.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 26, 1982

Tour of Duty 12 yrs

Age 42

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Automobile

Military Service

Gregory Joseph Sorenson served in the U.S. Army (1966â1969) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Gregory is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1982, 122 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 42nd heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Gregory was 42. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Gregory had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

July holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was automobile, in 4.9% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded