Roll of Honor

Prev Next

Officer

Daniel C. Martinez

Fort Smith Police Department — Fort Smith, AR

Felonious

End of Watch March 23, 2007

Age 33

Tour of Duty 12 yrs

The Vigil Panel 155 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 11

Incident

Officer Daniel Martinez was shot and killed while helping a mother retrieve her child from a residence.

Officer Martinez had responded to a call to help a mother get her child from a residence where she had a run in with her ex-boyfriend earlier in the day. The ex-boyfriend had been arrested and she had returned to pick up her child. She met the officer in the parking lot and they went to the front door and the brother of the man arrested earlier answered and told them to wait a minute, then shut the door. He returned with a 9 mm handgun and shot the police officer in the head, then shot the mother in the back, shoulder, and elbow as she fled. Officer Martinez was taken to Sparks Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The shooter fled from the home in a car and killed himself before Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers found him near Spiro, Oklahoma.

Officer Martinez had served for several years with the Poteau Police Department, Panama Police Department, Shady Point Police Department, and Wister Police Department, all of which are in Oklahoma. He joined the Fort Smith Police Department on July 3, 2006.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AR-EB90FA69
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.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Daniel. Claim this record.

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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Martinez gave the Fort Smith Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Smith community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Martinez.

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

Agency

Department Fort Smith Police Department

Location Fort Smith, AR

Platform Identity fortpd.sebastian.ar.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 23, 2007

Tour of Duty 12 yrs

Age 33

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun; 9 mm

Offender Committed suicide

Officer Daniel C. Martinez is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In AR, 249 of 372 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.9% of this state's fallen. That is 12.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Fort Smith Police Department, 8 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Fort Smith Police Department

of 12 officers

66.7% Felonious

AR — Statewide

249

of 372 officers

66.9% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious