Patrick John O'Rourke
Agency patch
Sergeant

Patrick John O'Rourke

West Bloomfield Police Department — West Bloomfield, MI
Felonious
End of Watch September 9, 2012
Age 39
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
The Vigil Panel 161 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Patrick O'Rourke was shot and killed while making entry into a home on Forest Edge Lane after responding to a domestic dispute and reports of shots fired from inside the house.

Sergeant O'Rourke and four other officers responded to the initial call shortly after 10:00 p.m. Several family members who had been in the home had exited it prior to the arrival of the officers and informed them that the man inside may have committed suicide.

The officers entered the home and made their way to a bedroom. Before entering the bedroom they called out the subject's name but were met with gunfire through the bedroom door. Sergeant O'Rourke was struck by the gunfire and critically wounded. He was transported to McLaren Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

After a standoff of nearly 20 hours and after exchanging hundreds of rounds of gunfire with members of several local agencies, the subject was found dead from a single, self-inflicted gunshot in the home the following evening after an entry by members of the Special Response Team.

Sergeant O'Rourke had served with the West Bloomfield Police Department for 12 years and was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, four children, parents, and three brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-03B717F0
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.
Sergeant O'Rourke gave the West Bloomfield Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the West Bloomfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant O'Rourke.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location West Bloomfield, MI
Platform Identity wbpd.oakland.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 9, 2012
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Sergeant Patrick John O'Rourke 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 MI, 426 of 719 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.2% of this state's fallen. That is 59.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

West Bloomfield Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
MI — Statewide
426
of 719 officers
59.2% 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. Patrick John O'Rourke's cause is highlighted.

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

How Patrick John O'Rourke Compares

Age at Death
39
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. Patrick John O'Rourke 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.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from West Bloomfield Police Department are honored on badge.nw.