Gideon Manchester
Agency patch
Constable

Gideon Manchester

Fall River Police Department — Fall River, MA
Felonious
End of Watch July 16, 1852
Age 35
The Vigil Panel 1 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable Gideon Manchester was shot and killed as he attempted to confront a suspect who was burglarizing Fall River stores.

The burglar was seen breaking into numerous businesses and stealing approximately $500 in cash in the early morning hours. Constable Manchester confronted him and attempted to place him under arrest, but the suspect drew a pistol and fired striking Constable Manchester and mortally wounding him.

The suspect was later arrested and convicted of murdering Constable Manchester. He was executed on April 28, 1854.

Constable Manchester was survived by his wife, mother, and three young children.

Survivors

Constable Manchester was survived by his wife, mother, and three young children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-CF02792E
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

174 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Manchester served with the Fall River Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Fall River community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Fall River, Bristol County, MA
Platform Identity frpd.bristol.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 16, 1852
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; Pistol

Constable Gideon Manchester 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 MA, 199 of 469 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.4% of this state's fallen. That is 42.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Fall River Police Department, 3 of 9 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Fall River Police Department
3
of 9 officers
33.3% Felonious
MA — Statewide
199
of 469 officers
42.4% 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. Gideon Manchester's cause is highlighted.

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

How Gideon Manchester Compares

Age at Death
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Gideon Manchester is highlighted in Jul.

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. Gideon Manchester was killed by handgun; pistol.

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