Gary Don McCarthy
Agency patch
Officer

Gary Don McCarthy

Dallas Police Department — Dallas, TX
Felonious
End of Watch February 26, 1988
Age 33
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 2 mo
Badge 5508
The Vigil Panel 133 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Gary McCarthy was shot and killed during an armed robbery at a grocery store at the intersection of North Hampton Road and Singleton Boulevard Officer McCarthy was working an off-duty job as a security officer. An armed man entered and began robbing the manager. Officer McCarthy identified himself and was shot in the chest. He was able to return fire but did not strike the shooter. The assailant was apprehended several days later, tried and convicted; he was sentenced to death and executed in December 2001. Officer McCarthy had served with the Dallas Police Department for one year.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-38FEDB11
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

You barely got started.
Officer McCarthy gave the Dallas Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer McCarthy.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Dallas, TX
Platform Identity dpd.dallas.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 26, 1988
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 2 mo
Age 33
Badge Number 5508
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer Gary Don McCarthy 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Dallas Police Department, 55 of 95 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.9% of this agency's fallen.

Dallas Police Department
55
of 95 officers
57.9% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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. Gary Don McCarthy's cause is highlighted.

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

How Gary Don McCarthy Compares

Age at Death
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1.2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Gary Don McCarthy is highlighted in Feb.

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. Gary Don McCarthy was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location