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Police Officer

Donald Olson Kimbrough

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch December 7, 2017

Age 71

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

The Vigil Panel 168 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 249

Incident

Police Officer Donald Kimbrough succumbed to complications of gunshot wounds sustained on August 25th, 1972, while responding to a robbery.

He and his partner, both in plain clothes, were in the area of a methadone clinic when they were informed that two men were shooting at people in the parking lot at the intersection of Belmont Street and Woodward Avenue. As the officers arrived on scene they confronted one of the armed subjects walking from an alley to a car that had just pulled into an adjacent parking lot.

The man complied, but a second subject sitting in the vehicle's driver's seat opened fire with a handgun, striking Officer Kimbrough in the chest. The first subject then picked up the shotgun and fired at Officer Kimbrough's partner. Both officers returned fire as the suspects fled in the car.

Officer Kimbrough was transported to Henry Ford Hospital where it was determined that the bullet had lodged against his spine, causing him paralysis from the waist down. Although confined to a wheelchair, he was able to return to limited duty until being medically retired in 1977. His health continued to deteriorate, and he died of complications of the original gunshot wound on December 7th, 2017.

The two suspects involved in the shooting were never identified and the case remains open.

Officer Kimbrough was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Detroit Police Department for a total of seven years before medically retiring.

Survivors

He is survived by his son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MI-1FF5A396
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Air Force. One record, 2 gates. Donald is one person.

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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.
Police Officer Kimbrough gave the Detroit Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. 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 Detroit Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Detroit, Wayne County, MI

Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 7, 2017

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

Age 71

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Donald Olson Kimbrough served in the U.S. Air Force before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Donald Olson Kimbrough 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 97,759 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 Detroit Police Department, 177 of 250 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.8% of this agency's fallen.

Detroit Police Department

177

of 250 officers

70.8% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious