Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Gerard Burke suffered a fatal heart attack while following what he believed to be a stolen vehicle in the 2800 block of 11th Street, NW.
Although off duty, Sergeant Burke noticed the vehicle and called dispatch to request backup in order to stop it. A short distance later, Sergeant Burke's vehicle crossed the center line, struck a parked car, and then struck a moving vehicle.
It was determined that Sergeant Burke had suffered a heart attack, which in turn caused the crash. The vehicle he was following was reported stolen three hours after the incident and recovered early the following morning.
Sergeant Burke had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 16 years and was assigned to the 3rd District. He had received the Sergeant of the Year Award for the 3rd District in 2005.
Survivors
Survivors include his fiancée, parents, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-DC-E5BC6673- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Burke gave the Metropolitan Police Department 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Washington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Burke.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Gerard Walter Burke, Jr. is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 71 of 1,419 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 5% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Metropolitan Police Department, 5 of 131 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gerard Walter Burke, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Gerard Walter Burke, Jr. Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Gerard Walter Burke, Jr. is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
130 officers from Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
