Charles A. Cavanagh

St. Clair County Sheriff's Department — Port Huron, MI

Felonious

End of Watch March 16, 1934

Age 47

Tour of Duty 22 yrs

The Vigil Panel 67 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Undersheriff Cavanagh was shot and killed after responding to a call about a man brandishing a handgun in a grocery store. When he arrived on the scene the two exchanged shots and both Undersheriff Cavanagh and the suspect were killed. The suspect had escaped from an Indiana jail with John Dillinger 13 days earlier.

Undersheriff Cavanagh had served in law enforcement for 22 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MI-AC6D8603
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

22 years. You could have gone home.
Undersheriff Cavanagh gave the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Port Huron community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Undersheriff Cavanagh.

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

Agency

Department St. Clair County Sheriff's Department

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Port Huron, MI

Platform Identity sccso.stclair.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 16, 1934

Tour of Duty 22 yrs

Age 47

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Undersheriff Charles A. Cavanagh is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 59.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

St. Clair County Sheriff's Department

of 4 officers

50% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,756 officers

0% Felonious