Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Buck Roy succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two months earlier when he and another officer responded to a rally on the Haverford College campus in which 200 KKK members were burning a cross. The officers arrived as the rally ended and attempted to question two men who were leaving the scene. When they asked the man to stop one of them opened fire, striking Officer Roy in the leg and hip and the other officer in the chin. For the next two months, Officer Roy drifted in and out of consciousness and had to have his leg amputated. He died on September 14, 1924, as a result of the wounds he sustained. Five men were tried and acquitted for his murder. Six months later, a janitor at the college admitted to being the shooter and was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison.
Survivors
Officer Roy was survived by his mother and father.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-C7F17282- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Roy served with the Lower Merion Township Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Ardmore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Roy.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Francis X. Roy 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 47.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Lower Merion Township Police Department, 2 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Francis X. Roy's cause is highlighted.
How Francis X. Roy Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Francis X. Roy is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Francis X. Roy was killed by gun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Lower Merion Township Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
