Prev
Incident
Police Officer Marc Atkinson was shot and killed after being ambushed by suspected drug traffickers.
Officer Atkinson was driving a marked patrol car while following the suspects, who turned a corner, stopped their vehicle, and waited for him on North 30th Avenue just north of West Catalina Drive. As he turned the corner, the three suspects opened fire, striking him twice in the head, killing him. A citizen who witnessed the incident engaged the suspects in a gunfight with his own weapon, seriously wounding one. The other two suspects fled but were later arrested.
Officer Atkinson was a United States Marine Corps Operation Desert Storm veteran who served as a law enforcement officer for five years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and six-month-old child.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
neuraspine_01krbxtp71gk7ejxjnas405cw8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Marc. Claim this record.
Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Marc is one person.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
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.
Police Officer Atkinson gave the Phoenix Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Marc Todd Atkinson served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1988â1988) before joining law enforcement.
The Sacrifice · Felonious
Phoenix Police Department has lost 47 officers; 28 of them killed feloniously.
Marc is one of 204 officers killed feloniously in AZ, 61.8% of the 330 remembered there.
Marc is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Marc is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously worldwide, 51.7% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 1999, 2 officers at Phoenix Police Department were killed feloniously, more than in any other year.
In 1999, 4 officers in AZ were killed feloniously, the 5th heaviest of 99 years on record. The heaviest was 1918, with 6.
In 1999, 58 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 133rd heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.
In 1999, 61 officers worldwide were killed feloniously, the 132nd heaviest of 265 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 516.
Who
Marc was 28. Of the 28 killed feloniously at Phoenix Police Department whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 43; the middle age was 33.5. Marc had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 8 years.
Marc was 28. Of the 186 killed feloniously in AZ whose age is recorded, half were between 31.3 and 47; the middle age was 39. Marc had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 7 years.
Marc was 28. 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. Marc had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Marc was 28. Of the 15,853 killed feloniously worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 46; the middle age was 38. Marc had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
March holds 10.7% of these deaths at Phoenix Police Department; May holds the most, 25%. Fridays: 17.9%.
March holds 4.4% of these deaths in AZ; May holds the most, 13.2%. Fridays: 15.2%.
March holds 7.5% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Fridays: 14.3%.
March holds 7.8% of these deaths worldwide; December holds the most, 9.2%. Fridays: 14.3%.
How
Felonious deaths account for 59.6% of all 47 deaths at Phoenix Police Department, the most common cause.
Felonious deaths account for 61.8% of all 330 deaths in AZ, the most common cause.
Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause.
Felonious deaths account for 51.7% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the most common cause.
His people
Phoenix Police Department has 47 officers remembered here, Marc among them.
-
Haze Burch
Feb 5, 1925
-
David Lee Johnson
May 2, 1944
-
Walter H. Stewart
Feb 19, 1952
-
Albert Raymond Bluhm
Dec 28, 1970
-
Dale Crist Stone
Dec 28, 1970
-
Clay Quincy Haywood
Nov 22, 1971
-
Michael Dennis Hemschmeyer
Nov 2, 1973
-
Gilbert Richard Chavez
Jun 16, 1975
-
John Franklin MacInnis
Feb 22, 1976
-
Arthur Edward Del Gaudio, Jr.
Apr 22, 1976
-
Ignacio Gonzales Conchos
Jul 1, 1982
-
John R. Davis, Sr.
Aug 6, 1982
-
Kenneth E. Campbell
Jan 29, 1984
-
Errol C. Hawkins
Apr 24, 1984
-
Robert L. Polmanteer
May 4, 1984
-
Kevin William Forsythe
Sep 7, 1984
-
John A. Robertson
Nov 19, 1984
-
Robert T. Fike
Jan 8, 1986
-
Kenneth L. Collings
May 27, 1988
-
Patrick O. Briggs
Jun 20, 1990
-
John Wayne Domblisky
Jul 26, 1990
-
Danny L. Tunney
Jul 26, 1990
-
Leonard Leon Kolodziej
Sep 4, 1991
-
David Martin Kieffer
May 21, 1997
-
Marc Todd Atkinson
Mar 26, 1999
-
Goelet Alessandro Carlo Beuf
Nov 1, 1999
-
Beryl Wayne Scott, Jr.
Sep 10, 2002
-
Donald Ralph Schultz
May 12, 2004
-
Eric James White
Aug 28, 2004
-
Jason Alan Wolfe
Aug 28, 2004
-
David Christopher Uribe
May 10, 2005
-
Paul Robert Salmon
Nov 29, 2005
-
George Valentino Cortez, Jr.
Jul 27, 2007
-
Nicki James Erfle
Sep 18, 2007
-
Shane Cory Figueroa
Oct 25, 2008
-
Travis Paul Murphy
May 26, 2010
-
Daryl Michael Raetz
May 19, 2013
-
John Thomas Hobbs
Mar 3, 2014
-
Craig Tiger
Nov 7, 2014
-
David Van Glasser
May 19, 2016
-
Paul Thomas Rutherford
Mar 21, 2019
-
Greg Scott Carnicle
Mar 29, 2020
-
Ginarro Allen New
May 31, 2021
-
Mathew Aaron Hefter
Aug 7, 2021
-
Thomas Crawford Craig
Sep 3, 2021
-
Phillip James Vavrinec, Jr.
Sep 22, 2021
-
Zane Tristan Coolidge
Sep 6, 2024
Where
Military Service
Marc Todd Atkinson served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1988–1988) before joining law enforcement.
Visit Marc Todd Atkinson’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 36-E
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Also Remembered
Others Who Wore This Badge
46 officers from Phoenix Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
