Roll of Honor

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Officer

Timothy Jacob Laird

Indianapolis Police Department — Indianapolis, IN

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch August 18, 2004

Age 31

Tour of Duty 4 yrs 5 mo

Badge 2479

The Vigil Panel 152 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 58

Incident

Officer Timothy Laird was shot and killed after responding to a call of a man walking in a neighborhood street with a rifle.

At approximately 2:00 am, calls were received that there was a man in the 2700 block of Dietz Street with a rifle, and several officers responded. The first officer to arrive was shot and wounded before he exited his patrol car. The suspect then began walking down the street, firing the rifle into the air. As Officer Laird drove into the 2800 block, he came under fire, and as he exited his patrol car, he was fatally wounded when he was struck in the chest above his bullet-resistant vest.

As additional officers responded, they engaged the suspect in a gunbattle where three other officers were shot and wounded. One of the wounded officers returned fire, striking the suspect in the head and chest, killing him. It was later discovered that the suspect had just murdered his mother in their home and that the suspect suffered from schizophrenia. All four wounded officers recovered from their injuries.

Officer Laird was a United States Marine Corps veteran who had served with the Indianapolis Police Department for nearly 4½ years and was assigned to the South District. He was posthumously awarded the department's Medal of Honor and Purple Heart.

Survivors

Officer Laird is survived by his wife and 7-year-old daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IN-716C0821
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. Timothy 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.
Officer Laird gave the Indianapolis Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Indianapolis community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Indianapolis Police Department

Type Other

Location Indianapolis, Marion County, IN

Platform Identity ipd.marion.in.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 18, 2004

Tour of Duty 4 yrs 5 mo

Age 31

Badge Number 2479

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle; SKS

Military Service

Timothy Jacob Laird served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1991â2000) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Timothy Jacob Laird 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In IN, 311 of 504 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Indianapolis Police Department, 38 of 59 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.4% of this agency's fallen.

Indianapolis Police Department

of 59 officers

64.4% Felonious

IN — Statewide

311

of 504 officers

61.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious