Arthur D. Pettit

Billings Police Dept. — Billings, MT

Accident

End of Watch December 21, 1935

Age 61

Tour of Duty 19 yrs

The Vigil Panel 71 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Patrolman Pettit was accidentally shot by another officer's gun. Patrolman Pettit was attaching a container to a fumigating device when another officer who was helping him bent down and his .38-caliber revolver slipped from his shoulder holster and hit the cement floor. The gun fired and Patrolman Pettit was hit by a bullet that passed through his stomach and liver. He was rushed to the hospital and doctors operated, but the wound proved fatal. He died the next day from the gunshot. Patrolman Pettit had served with the Billings Police Department for 19 years. He was survived by his wife and three children,

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MT-C0D75222
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Pettit gave the Billings Police Department 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Billings community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Pettit.

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

Agency

Department Billings Police Dept.

Location Billings, MT

Platform Identity bpd.yellowstone.mt.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 21, 1935

Tour of Duty 19 yrs

Age 61

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Patrolman Arthur D. Pettit is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MT, 34 of 142 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At Billings Police Dept., 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.

Billings Police Dept.

of 4 officers

25% Accident

MT — Statewide

of 142 officers

23.9% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident