Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr.
Agency patch
Corporal

Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr.

Dallas Police Department — Dallas, TX
Felonious
End of Watch December 13, 1988
Age 43
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Badge 3166
The Vigil Panel 134 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Corporal Lawrence R. Cadena was shot and killed during an undercover narcotics investigation near the intersection of North Fitzhugh Avenue at Capitol Avenue. As the investigation began, one of the suspects opened Corporal Cadena's car door and shot him in the abdomen, chest, and arms. A gun battle ensued between the shooters and other officers. One assailant was shot and killed, two others were wounded. One of the wounded was sentenced to death and one to life. The suspect sentenced to death was executed on August 14, 2002. Corporal Cadena had served with the Dallas Police Department for 17 years.

Survivors

He is survived by three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-0FE51D9C
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.
Corporal Cadena gave the Dallas Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Cadena.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Dallas, TX
Platform Identity dpd.dallas.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 13, 1988
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 43
Badge Number 3166
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Corporal Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr. 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Dallas Police Department, 55 of 95 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.9% of this agency's fallen.

Dallas Police Department
55
of 95 officers
57.9% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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. Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr.'s cause is highlighted.

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

How Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr. Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
17
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr. is highlighted in Dec.

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. Lawrence Rudy Cadena Sr. was killed by handgun.

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

Incident Location