John McNerney
Officer

John McNerney

Norfolk Police Department — Norfolk, VA
Felonious
End of Watch September 22, 1904
Age 42
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
The Vigil Panel 19 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer John McNerney was shot and killed by a suspect during a search of a store at the northeast corner of Bute Street and Cumberland Street (intersection no longer exists) in an area that had seen a rash of burglaries. He had attempted to return fire but his service weapon misfired twice. Officer McNerney had served with the Norfolk Police Department for 13 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-DB533704
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 McNerney gave the Norfolk Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Norfolk community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer McNerney.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Norfolk, VA
Platform Identity npd.norfolk.va.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 22, 1904
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 42
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer John McNerney 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 VA, 394 of 656 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.1% of this state's fallen. That is 60.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Norfolk Police Department, 20 of 39 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.3% of this agency's fallen.

Norfolk Police Department
20
of 39 officers
51.3% Felonious
VA — Statewide
394
of 656 officers
60.1% 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 McNerney's cause is highlighted.

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

How John McNerney Compares

Age at Death
42
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
13
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John McNerney is highlighted in Sep.

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 McNerney 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