Gary Wayne Henderson
Agency patch
Sergeant

Gary Wayne Henderson

Shelbyville Police Department — Shelbyville, IN
Accident
End of Watch October 10, 2007
Age 51
Tour of Duty 33 yrs
The Vigil Panel 156 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Gary Henderson was struck and killed by two tires from a semitrailer while assisting at a traffic stop on eastbound I-74 near the Route 44 entrance ramp.

Sergeant Henderson responded to a call for assistance from a Shelby County deputy sheriff who had pulled over a stolen vehicle with two juvenile suspects. After arriving at the scene at 11:40 pm, Sergeant Henderson began taking photographs from outside of his patrol car.

As a passing semitrailer was changing lanes, a set of rear dual tires and wheels disengaged from the passenger side of the trailer and struck Sergeant Henderson, killing him instantly. The driver of the semitrailer, when stopped a short distance from the scene by another officer, was unaware of what had happened.

No traffic violations were issued against the driver of the semitrailer, but he faces a deportation hearing as an illegal immigrant. The 13- and 14-year-old male juveniles have been charged with being runaways and with auto theft.

Sergeant Henderson had served with the Shelbyville Police Department as a police officer for 29 years and as a parking enforcement officer for four years. He was survived by his wife, son, parents, and three sisters. His son went on to serve as a police officer with the department.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, parents, and three sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-CB4A08B3
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

33 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Henderson gave the Shelbyville Police Department 33 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Shelbyville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Henderson.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Shelbyville, Shelby County, IN
Platform Identity spd.shelby.in.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 10, 2007
Tour of Duty 33 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Sergeant Gary Wayne Henderson 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 IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 30 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Shelbyville Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
IN — Statewide
151
of 503 officers
30% 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 Wayne Henderson's cause is highlighted.

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

How Gary Wayne Henderson Compares

Age at Death
51
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
33
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gary Wayne Henderson is highlighted in Oct.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Shelbyville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.