David John Branhan

Oakland Police Department — Oakland, CA

Felonious Veteran →

End of Watch February 7, 1974

Age 29

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

The Vigil Panel 113 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 53

Incident

Police Officer Dave Branhan and Police Officer David Marks were shot and killed while responding to a call at Madison Junior High School at 300 Capistrano Drive. The officers had been dispatched to a middle school on a call that a disorderly person was fighting with staff on the school grounds. When the officers arrived, they located the man and took him to a conference room. The man began to struggle with the two officers, gained control of Officer Marks' service weapon, and shot them both. The man was apprehended at a nearby apartment building after he was shot and wounded by other officers. The subject was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive terms of 15 years to life on May 29th, 1975. Officer Branhan was a United States Navy Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Oakland Police Department for four years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-D8E11902
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.
Police Officer Branhan gave the Oakland Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Oakland 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

Department Oakland Police Department

Location Oakland, CA

Platform Identity opd.alameda.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 7, 1974

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Offender Sentenced to life

Military Service

David John Branhan served in the Navy (1967â1973) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer David John Branhan 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 Oakland Police Department, 37 of 54 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 68.5% of this agency's fallen.

Oakland Police Department

of 54 officers

68.5% Felonious

CA — Statewide

974

of 1,837 officers

53% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious