Cornelius L. Fahey
Police Officer

Cornelius L. Fahey

Austin Police Department — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch March 8, 1875
Age 35
The Vigil Panel 5 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Cornelius Fahey was shot through the abdomen and killed by a drunk subject on Congress Avenue between midnight and 1 a.m. The suspect fled the scene on horseback but was later apprehended several miles away. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years. He died in prison. Officer Fahey is the first Austin police officer known to have died in the line of duty.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-58C30D19
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

151 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Fahey served with the Austin Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity apd.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 8, 1875
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Police Officer Cornelius L. Fahey 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 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Austin Police Department, 12 of 28 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Austin Police Department
12
of 28 officers
42.9% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cornelius L. Fahey's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Cornelius L. Fahey Compares

Age at Death
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Cornelius L. Fahey is highlighted in Mar.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Cornelius L. Fahey was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location