Roll of Honor
Mack Wesley Cantrell
Incident
Officer Mack Cantrell succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on March 9th, 1977, when a Muslim terrorist group took over the District Building and two other nearby buildings.
During the attack, the terrorists murdered a local journalist and shot a member of the District of Columbia councilman. Officer Cantrell was struck in the head with buckshot during the incident before the terrorists took dozens of hostages. The hostages were eventually freed following extended negotiations involving the ambassadors of Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt.
All the hostage-takers were taken into custody and subsequently convicted of numerous crimes. The leader of the group was sentenced to 21 to 120 years in prison. He died at Federal Correctional Institute Butner on November 13th, 2003.
Officer Cantrell recovered enough from his wounds to return to duty on June 19th, 1977 but suffered a fatal heart attack on his first day back. He was taken to a local hospital where he passed away on July 4th, 1977.
Officer Cantrell was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the District of Columbia Protective Services Police Department for six years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, four daughters, and one granddaughter.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-DC-F1F47434- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 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.
Officer Cantrell gave the District of Columbia Protective Services Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Washington 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Mack Wesley Cantrell served in the Other (1948â1952) before joining law enforcement.
Officer Mack Wesley Cantrell is one of 17,558 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 53.9% of all 32,585 officers honored here.
In DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.8 percentage points below the national rate of 53.9%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Mack Wesley Cantrell's cause is highlighted.
How Mack Wesley Cantrell Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Mack Wesley Cantrell is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Mack Wesley Cantrell was killed by shotgun.