Robert George Kennedy
Agency patch
Constable

Robert George Kennedy

Thomasville Police Department — Thomasville, NC
Accident
End of Watch June 29, 1946
Age 34
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 82 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable Robert Kennedy and Constable John Bodenheimer were killed when the driver of a vehicle lost control and struck them as they conducted a traffic stop on US 29.

Constable Kennedy was standing beside the patrol car as Constable Bodenheimer sat inside. Another car entered the area and struck Constable Kennedy, killing him instantly, and then struck the patrol car. Constable Bodenheimer succumbed to his injuries four days later.

The driver of the vehicle that struck them was charged with manslaughter.

Constable Kennedy had served with the Thomasville Police Department for 2 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-D8C00793
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
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.
Constable Kennedy gave the Thomasville Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Thomasville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Kennedy.

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

Agency

Location Thomasville, NC
Platform Identity tpd.davidson.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 29, 1946
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Constable Robert George Kennedy 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 NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen.

At Thomasville Police Department, 3 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.

Thomasville Police Department
3
of 8 officers
37.5% Accident
NC — Statewide
205
of 664 officers
30.9% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert George Kennedy's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Robert George Kennedy Compares

Age at End of Watch
34
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert George Kennedy is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897