Gary E. Fletcher
Officer

Gary E. Fletcher

Durham Police Department — Durham, NC
Accident
End of Watch February 16, 1978
Age 23
The Vigil Panel 119 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Office Gary Fletcher succumbed to injuries sustained two days earlier while assisting at the scene of a fire.

He had attached a fire hose to a hydrant when a fire engine pulled away. The hose came loose and wrapped around his feet. Officer Fletcher was thrown to the ground and sustained serious injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries two days later.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-9CF04002
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.
Officer Fletcher served with the Durham Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Durham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Fletcher.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Durham, Durham County, NC
Platform Identity dpd.durham.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 16, 1978
Age 23
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Officer Gary E. Fletcher is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 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. That is 30.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Durham Police Department, 3 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Durham Police Department
3
of 7 officers
42.9% Accident
NC — Statewide
205
of 664 officers
30.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gary E. Fletcher's cause is highlighted.

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

How Gary E. Fletcher Compares

Age at Death
23
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gary E. Fletcher is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897