Steven Ross Pinkelton

Metro Nashville Police Department — Nashville, TN

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch July 26, 1978

Age 30

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

The Vigil Panel 120 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 19

Incident

Officer Steven Pinkelton was shot and killed when the restaurant he was in was robbed. He was off duty but in uniform waiting in line when an armed robber entered, grabbed him from behind, and shot him in the back of the head. The 29-year-suspect was arrested on February 18, 1983, at the state penitentiary in Nashville. He had served three years of a 13-year sentence for the robbery of two restaurants in the same area of the restaurant where Officer Pinkelton was killed. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. He had a parole hearing in September of 2022 and was denied. Officer Pinkelton was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Metro Nashville Police Department for six years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TN-5A9A5817
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Steven is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Pinkelton gave the Metro Nashville Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Nashville community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Metro Nashville Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Nashville, Davidson County, TN

Platform Identity mnpd.davidson.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 26, 1978

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

Age 30

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Steven Ross Pinkelton served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Steven Ross Pinkelton 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In TN, 498 of 769 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.8% of this state's fallen. That is 64.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Metro Nashville Police Department, 12 of 20 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Metro Nashville Police Department

of 20 officers

60% Felonious

TN — Statewide

498

of 769 officers

64.8% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious