Incident
Officer Dennis Doty and Officer Philip Trust were shot and killed while serving a warrant to a man who had not reported for his 13-year prison sentence. At 8:30 a.m., they went to the home on Wolfe Street. Officer Doty and Officer Trust were granted entrance into the house and found the disabled man sitting naked on a bed. As they helped him get dressed, the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot both officers. The suspect had been sitting on the gun. Officer Trust was able to return fire and struck the suspect in the hand. The round remained in the suspect's hand and was a crucial piece of evidence in the ensuing trial. The suspect, who had been paralyzed from the waist down two years earlier in a shootout with a Riverside police officer while robbing a bank, was found guilty of their murders and sentenced to death. It is believed that the motive of the shooting was revenge for the previous shooting. In 2005, a judge overturned the suspect's death sentence on claims by the defense that the suspect suffered from schizophrenia. He was retried and again sentenced to death on January 28, 2010. The suspect died in prison while still on death row in October 2024. Officer Doty was a U.S. Army Veteran of Vietnam and was the recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He had served with the Riverside Police Department for 10 years.
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BO-US-CA-D5F86843- Stewardship
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- 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.
Police Officer Doty gave the Riverside Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Riverside community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Dennis Charles Doty served in the Other (1968â1970) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Dennis Charles Doty 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Riverside Police Department, 14 of 15 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 93.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dennis Charles Doty's cause is highlighted.
How Dennis Charles Doty Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to death
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Dennis Charles Doty is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Dennis Charles Doty was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Riverside Police Department are honored on badge.nw.













