Roll of Honor
Incident
Officers Thomas Finnelly and Charles Castor were shot and killed when they attempted to arrest a man who was wanted for murder in Veley, Greece. The officers were informed by an informant that the suspect would be arriving in San Francisco on that day at the Ferry Building. When the officers attempted to arrest the suspect, the suspect shot them both. The suspect also shot and wounded the informant, who pointed him out to the police. The suspect was captured at the scene, tried, and hanged on March 14, 1913. A relative of the suspect killed the informant and was later arrested. Officer Finnelly was survived by his wife and three children. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California.
Survivors
Officer Finnelly was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-F583F196- 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.
Officer Finnelly served with the San Francisco Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Finnelly.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Thomas Finnelly 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At San Francisco Police Department, 66 of 106 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Finnelly's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Finnelly Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Finnelly is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Thomas Finnelly was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
105 officers from San Francisco Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
