Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Ray Curwood succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained six days earlier while attempting to disarm a man at the Mountain Inn Hotel on Union Street in Shickshinny.
At 6:30 pm, Chief Curwood went to arrest the subject for making threats toward his family members with a gun the man had just purchased. As soon as he approached the subject, Chief Curwood was shot twice in the abdomen. He was transported to Nanticoke State Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.
The 34-year-old suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. On October 16, 1918, he died in the Luzerne County Jail of tuberculosis.
Chief Curwood had served with the Shickshinny Borough Police Department for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-PA-31AC0839- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Curwood gave the Shickshinny Borough Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Shickshinny community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Curwood.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Ray E. Curwood is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 6.9 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ray E. Curwood's cause is highlighted.
How Ray E. Curwood Compares
Offender Outcome
Died in jail
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ray E. Curwood is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Ray E. Curwood was killed by handgun.