Lewis Roberts
Agency patch
Detective Lieutenant

Lewis Roberts

Scranton Police Department — Scranton, PA
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch April 2, 1933
Age 41
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
The Vigil Panel 66 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant Lewis Roberts succumbed to a gunshot wound the previous day when he interrupted a robbery at a local grocery store at Prescott Avenue and Olive Street. When one of the suspects ordered him to hand over his money he grabbed the suspect's wrist and began to disarm him, but a second suspect him struck him over the head with a revolver. The first suspect then shot him several times before they both fled. Despite being mortally wounded, Lieutenant Roberts was able to give a description of the suspects to responding officers. Both men were eventually apprehended, convicted of his murder, and subsequently executed in the electric chair on March 5, 1934. Two other suspects were charged in connection with his murder. Lieutenant Roberts was a veteran of the Pennsylvania National Guard and had served with the Scranton Police Department for 22 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-D408E0D1
Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Detective Lieutenant Roberts gave the Scranton Police Department 22 years.
Thank you for your service to the Scranton community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA
Platform Identity spd.lackawanna.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 2, 1933
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Age 41
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Lewis Roberts served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Detective Lieutenant Lewis Roberts 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 47.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Scranton Police Department, 6 of 11 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 54.5% of this agency's fallen.

Scranton Police Department
6
of 11 officers
54.5% Felonious
PA — Statewide
597
of 1,261 officers
47.3% 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. Lewis Roberts's cause is highlighted.

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

How Lewis Roberts Compares

Age at Death
41
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
22
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Lewis Roberts is highlighted in Apr.

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. Lewis Roberts 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

Military Service

Lewis Roberts served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit Lewis Roberts’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.