Roll of Honor
Frederick Alston Thornton
Incident
Officer Fred Thornton was killed when a flash-bang device detonated as he handled SWAT equipment.
He had just returned home following a SWAT call out to serve a warrant and was attempting to render his equipment safe when the Def-Tec 25 flash-bang discharged, causing massive injuries. Investigation determined that while at the scene of the SWAT deployment Officer Thornton removed the device's safety pin in preparation for using it. It is believed that he was attempting to reinsert the pin when the device detonated.
He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Officer Thornton had served with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for 28 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-19BDA403- 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.
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Tributes
28 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Thornton gave the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department 28 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Charlotte community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Thornton.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Frederick Alston Thornton is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen.
At Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, 3 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frederick Alston Thornton's cause is highlighted.
How Frederick Alston Thornton Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frederick Alston Thornton is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
