Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Henry Hand was shot and killed in an unprovoked attack while walking on Houston Avenue at approximately 10:30 am. The suspect, who held a grudge against police officers, walked up to Chief Hand and opened fire on him with a shotgun without warning, shooting him twice. The suspect, 34, was arrested and confessed to shooting Chief Hand. His signed written statement ending with "justice has been done". On June 16, 1939, he entered a plea of guilty of murder. Chief Hand had served with the Montgomery Borough Police Department for three years and had previously served with the Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-E029B223- 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.
Chief Hand gave the Montgomery Borough Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Montgomery community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Hand.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief Henry E. Hand 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 47.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry E. Hand's cause is highlighted.
How Henry E. Hand Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry E. Hand is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Henry E. Hand was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Montgomery Borough Police Department are honored on badge.nw.