Roll of Honor
Charles Mark Cosslett
Incident
Trooper Charles Cosslett was killed in a motorcycle crash on I-95, near Backlick Road, south of I-495, in the Springfield area of Fairfax County.
Trooper Cosslett was responding to a sniper-related shooting call at 5:35 p.m. and driving on the right shoulder around rush hour traffic when a tow truck veered onto the shoulder from the right lane. The motorcycle struck the tow truck, killing Trooper Cosslett instantly.
Trooper Cosslett was scheduled to be off the day he was killed but reported to work to help other officers search for a sniper who had killed ten people and wounded another three in the Washington metro area. The shooting call he was responding to turned out to be unfounded. The two suspects in the sniper case were arrested at 3 a.m. the next morning near Frederick, Maryland.
Trooper Cosslett was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Virginia State Police for 16 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, 3-year-old son, and 2-year-old daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-AA9AB051- 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 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.
Senior Trooper Cosslett gave the Virginia State Police 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Virginia. 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
Charles Mark Cosslett served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Senior Trooper Charles Mark Cosslett 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 VA, 203 of 654 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31% of this state's fallen.
At Virginia State Police, 32 of 52 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Mark Cosslett's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Mark Cosslett Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Mark Cosslett is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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