Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Michael McCarthy died of injuries sustained in the Virginia Capitol Disaster.
On April 27th, 1870, a balcony collapsed inside of the Virginia State Capitol, killing 62 people, including 12 law enforcement officers.
Following the Civil War, the United States Army installed a mayor in Richmond. In January 1870 Virginia's governor appointed a new city council, which then appointed a new mayor. However, the previous mayor refused to cede the mayorship and the city operated with two mayors and governments, including two separate police departments.
The balcony collapse occurred during a Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals hearing to determine which of the city's two mayors and police departments was considered legitimate. Because of the interest in the case, hundreds of citizens crowded onto the balcony to view the case. The weight of the spectators caused the structure to give way, killing dozens of elected officials, law enforcement officers, and citizens, and injuring hundreds more.
Following what became known as the Capitol Disaster, the court reconvened and ultimately ruled that the newly appointed mayor was the legitimate mayor.
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BO-US-VA-AF30E44B- 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
156 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Officer McCarthy served with the Richmond Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Richmond community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Michael McCarthy 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 VA, 203 of 654 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31% of this state's fallen.
At Richmond Police Department, 17 of 40 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael McCarthy's cause is highlighted.
How Michael McCarthy Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael McCarthy is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
39 officers from Richmond Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
