Thomas Murray
Agency patch
Inspector

Thomas Murray

Accident Veteran
End of Watch October 30, 2001
Age 52
Tour of Duty 26 yrs
The Vigil Panel 149 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Inspector Thomas Murray died after being exposed to toxic fumes in the hold of a Panamanian ship he was inspecting on the Mississippi River at LaPlace, Louisiana.

He and two of the ship's crew members, including the captain, entered the hold for the inspection and were overtaken by fumes. All three died as a result of asphyxiation from the oxidation of scrap iron. Another customs inspector was also exposed to the fumes but was rescued by other crew members.

Inspector Murray was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had been with the Customs Service for 26 years and was assigned to the Gramercy Port of Entry.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, six children, parents, five brothers, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-622EC0A1
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 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.
Inspector Murray gave the United States Department of the Treasury 26 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdtuscsfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 30, 2001
Tour of Duty 26 yrs
Age 52
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Thomas Murray served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Inspector Thomas Murray 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 DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 44 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.8% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service
44
of 94 officers
46.8% Accident
DC — Statewide
454
of 1,419 officers
32% 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. Thomas Murray'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 Thomas Murray Compares

Age at End of Watch
52
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
26
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Murray is highlighted in Oct.

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

Incident Location