Roll of Honor
Incident
Private Thomas Martin was shot as he attempted to quell a disturbance among a group of soldiers on King Street, between George Street and Calhoun Street.
The soldiers were white and Private Martin was African American. He first encouraged them to be quiet but they ignored his requests. As Private Martin began to call for other officers with his signal rap one of the soldiers shot him in the chest, causing a fatal wound.
Responding officers chased the group of soldiers to the main gate at the Citadel where they were arrested and charged with murder. One other officer suffered a wound to his leg when he was shot while chasing the soldiers.
Great to see this story brought to light. I commend the City of Charleston for finally acknowledging is vicious tragedy. I hope those that were arrested were convicted and punished. Rest In Power Thomas J. Martin
Major South Carolina October 16th, 2020
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-581905F4- 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
156 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Martin served with the Charleston Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Private Thomas J. Martin 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 SC, 271 of 438 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Charleston Police Dept., 12 of 24 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas J. Martin's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas J. Martin Compares
Offender Outcome
Arrested
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas J. Martin is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Thomas J. Martin was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
23 officers from Charleston Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
