Thomas A. Smith, Jr
Incident
Detective Sergeant Tommy Smith was accidentally shot and killed by another officer while conducting a probation check and warrant service at an apartment on Dougherty Road in Dublin at approximately 1:00 pm. The subject they were searching for was wanted for several robberies on BART property.
The officers conducting the check had made a forced entry into the apartment when a round was discharged, striking Sergeant Smith. He was transported to Eden Medical Center where he succumbed to the wound.
The subject wanted in the initial search had already been taken into custody by another agency prior to the start of the search.
Sergeant Smith had served with the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department for 20 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, who also serves with the department and his 6-year-old daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-586B95E4- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Detective Sergeant Smith gave the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Oakland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Sergeant Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Sergeant Thomas A. Smith, Jr 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas A. Smith, Jr's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas A. Smith, Jr Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas A. Smith, Jr is highlighted in Jan.