Luther Colson
Agency patch
Marshal

Luther Colson

Burbank Police Department — Burbank, CA
Felonious
End of Watch November 16, 1914
Age 33
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 29 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Colson was shot and killed in an ambush while on foot patrol. The three suspects were apprehended near the scene. Two were convicted of manslaughter. One was sentenced to seven years and the other to four. The third suspect was acquitted.

Survivors

Marshal Colson had served with the agency for 1 year and was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-4B4C18ED
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

You barely got started.
Marshal Colson gave the Burbank Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Burbank community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Marshal Colson.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Burbank, Los Angeles County, CA
Platform Identity bpd.losangeles.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 16, 1914
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Marshal Luther Colson 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Burbank 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.

Burbank Police Department
3
of 5 officers
60% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% 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. Luther Colson's cause is highlighted.

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

How Luther Colson Compares

Age at Death
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Luther Colson is highlighted in Nov.

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. Luther Colson was killed by gun.

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