Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Birdsell and Officer Eugene Jennings, of the Pomeroy Police Department, were killed during a vehicle pursuit west of Clarkston. During the chase the suspect failed to negotiate a curve and the vehicle ran up an embankment. As the two patrol cars came around the corner the vehicle came off of the embankment and landed on top of Officer Jennings' patrol car. Deputy Birdsell's patrol car then crashed into the back of Officer Jennings patrol car. Deputy Birdsell was killed instantly and Officer Jennings succumbed to his injuries the following day.
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BO-US-WA-502AFBF2- Stewardship
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- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Birdsell served with the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Pomeroy community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Birdsell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Lee D. Birdsell is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lee D. Birdsell's cause is highlighted.
How Lee D. Birdsell Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lee D. Birdsell is highlighted in Sep.