Roll of Honor
Incident
There he attempted to talk down a 27-year-old man, armed with a shotgun, who had already killed a woman, shot an unarmed police officer and taken several people hostage, including his estranged wife.
DI O’Donnell was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-BBP-0DFABC64- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Inspector O’Donnell served with the Blackburn Borough Police.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Inspector O’Donnell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Inspector James O’Donnell 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 ENG, 702 of 2,827 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 29.4 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Blackburn Borough Police, 2 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James O’Donnell's cause is highlighted.
How James O’Donnell Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James O’Donnell is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Blackburn Borough Police are honored on badge.nw.
