John F. McCarthy
Agency patch
Police Officer

John F. McCarthy

Oakland Police Department — Oakland, CA
Felonious
End of Watch November 30, 1922
Age 44
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 44 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer John McCarthy was shot and killed with his own service weapon while responding to a disturbance at a boarding house at 551 Center Street. As he entered the home he was attacked by a man and shot with his own weapon. Officer McCarthy had served with the Oakland Police Department for 14 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-EC441F0C
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer McCarthy gave the Oakland Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Oakland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer McCarthy.

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

Agency

Location Oakland, CA
Platform Identity opd.alameda.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 30, 1922
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
Age 44
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Officer's handgun
Offender Not available

Police Officer John F. McCarthy is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Oakland Police Department, 37 of 54 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 68.5% of this agency's fallen.

Oakland Police Department
37
of 54 officers
68.5% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John F. McCarthy's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How John F. McCarthy Compares

Age at End of Watch
44
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
14
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Not available

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John F. McCarthy is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John F. McCarthy was killed by officer's handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location