Freddie Joel Edwards
Sergeant

Freddie Joel Edwards

San Diego Police Department — San Diego, CA
Felonious
End of Watch October 7, 1971
Age 34
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
The Vigil Panel 109 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Freddie Edwards was shot and killed when he approached a suspicious man behind a convenience store at 5202 El Cajon Boulevard. Unbeknownst to Sergeant Edwards, the suspect had just committed an armed robbery of the store moments before. The suspect was caught and subsequently sentenced to death several hours before the United States Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional. However, in 1974 the suspect was murdered in prison by other inmates. Sergeant Edwards had served with the agency for 13 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-B7D88D73
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Edwards gave the San Diego Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Diego community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Edwards.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location San Diego, San Diego County, CA
Platform Identity sdpd.sandiego.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 7, 1971
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Sergeant Freddie Joel Edwards 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At San Diego Police Department, 27 of 38 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 71.1% of this agency's fallen.

San Diego Police Department
27
of 38 officers
71.1% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% 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. Freddie Joel Edwards's cause is highlighted.

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

How Freddie Joel Edwards Compares

Age at Death
34
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
13
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Freddie Joel Edwards is highlighted in Oct.

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. Freddie Joel Edwards was killed by handgun.

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

Incident Location