Louis Silva
Agency patch
Police Officer

Louis Silva

Gallup Police Department — Gallup, NM
Felonious
End of Watch September 15, 1930
Age 56
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
The Vigil Panel 60 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Louis Silva was shot and killed while questioning a man about a burglary in which a gun had been stolen. The suspect fled the scene and was never identified. Officer Silva had served with the agency for 12 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and six children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NM-92779956
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.
Police Officer Silva gave the Gallup Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Gallup community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Silva.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Gallup, McKinley County, NM
Platform Identity gpd.mckinley.nm.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 15, 1930
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 56
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Police Officer Louis Silva 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 NM, 123 of 193 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.7% of this state's fallen. That is 63.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Gallup Police Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Gallup Police Department
3
of 5 officers
60% Felonious
NM — Statewide
123
of 193 officers
63.7% 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. Louis Silva's cause is highlighted.

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

How Louis Silva Compares

Age at Death
56
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
12
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Louis Silva 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. Louis Silva was killed by gun.

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