John Daniel Kennedy
Agency patch
Officer

John Daniel Kennedy

Delray Beach Police Department — Delray Beach, FL
Felonious
End of Watch August 10, 1974
Age 32
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Badge 219
The Vigil Panel 114 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer John Kennedy was shot and killed when he was ambushed as he sat in his patrol car. He was writing a report while parked a gas station at the intersection of W. Atlantic Avenue and NW Eight Avenue shortly before 1:20 am. His body was located after he failed to respond to radio transmissions. One of the suspects was arrested and convicted of second degree murder. He died in prison on February 24th, 2016. Officer Kennedy had served with the Delray Beach Police Department for nine years.

Survivors

He was survived by his expectant wife, five children, parents, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-5574B39E
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 Kennedy gave the Delray Beach Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Delray Beach community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Kennedy.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Delray Beach, Palm Beach County, FL
Platform Identity dbpd.palmbeach.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 10, 1974
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 32
Badge Number 219
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer John Daniel Kennedy 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Delray Beach Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Delray Beach Police Department
1
of 2 officers
50% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% 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. John Daniel Kennedy's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Daniel Kennedy Compares

Age at Death
32
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Daniel Kennedy is highlighted in Aug.

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. John Daniel Kennedy 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

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Delray Beach Police Department are honored on badge.nw.