Thomas J. Gill

Boston Police Department — Roxbury Crossing, MA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch February 10, 1988

Age 38

Tour of Duty 18 yrs

The Vigil Panel 133 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 105

Incident

Detective Thomas Gill was struck by an Amtrak train while searching for several firearms that had been stolen in a burglary at a nearby home on Brooksdale Road. Investigators received a tip that that 14 of the firearms had been concealed in a duffle bag and thrown over a fence onto the railroad tracks in the area of the Stockyard Restaurant, on Market Street, when he was struck. It is believed he did not hear or see the train because of the noise from the adjacent interstate and because the area he was searching was on a sharp curve. Detective Gill was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Boston Police Department for 18 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MA-4D0076C1
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. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Thomas 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.
Detective Gill gave the Boston Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing 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 Boston Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Roxbury Crossing, Suffolk County, MA

Platform Identity bpd.suffolk.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 10, 1988

Tour of Duty 18 yrs

Age 38

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Thomas J. Gill served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Detective Thomas J. Gill is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In MA, 158 of 469 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.7% of this state's fallen. That is 33.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Boston Police Department, 31 of 106 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this agency's fallen.

Boston Police Department

of 106 officers

29.2% Accident

MA — Statewide

158

of 469 officers

33.7% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident