Roll of Honor

Prev Next

Senior Trooper

Charles Mark Cosslett

Virginia State Police — North Chesterfield, VA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch October 23, 2002

Age 40

Tour of Duty 16 yrs

The Vigil Panel 150 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 51

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: 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 Charles. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Charles 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.
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

Department Virginia State Police

Type State Police

Location North Chesterfield, VA

Platform Identity vsp.va.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 23, 2002

Tour of Duty 16 yrs

Age 40

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Charles Mark Cosslett served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1981â1985) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Senior Trooper Charles Mark Cosslett is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In VA, 204 of 655 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

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.

Virginia State Police

of 52 officers

61.5% Accident

VA — Statewide

204

of 655 officers

31.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident