Roll of Honor
Kenneth G. Ward
Incident
Inspector Kenneth Ward was shot and killed at the United States Port of Entry in Lynden, Washington. Two subjects had been sent inside the border station for secondary screening after showing signs of deception. Unbeknownst to Inspector Ward and the other inspector who was working, the two were members of a radical group associated with the Symbionese Liberation Army. As Inspector Ward attempted to pat down the male subject he suddenly drew a .45 caliber handgun and shot Inspector Ward in the chest. The man then shot at the other inspector as both subjects fled to their car. A DEA agent who was inside of the border station heard the shots and was able to follow the vehicle as it fled. The shooter and his wife, both 26, were arrested the following day just east of Lynden. The shooter had escaped from a California Prison where he was serving a sentence for the 1972 murders of an elderly couple. On September 19, 1979, the shooter was convicted of Inspector Ward's murder. On October 14, 1979, while awaiting to be sentenced he and six others attempted to escape from the King County Jail. One was shot and killed as the escape was stopped. The next day he was sentenced to life for Inspector Ward's murder plus 11 years for escape and assaulting a federal officer the day before. On December 3, 1979, his wife was convicted of being an accessory after the fact and sentenced to 15 years. Both were sent to Federal Prisons. As of 2022 the man is in Sacramento State Prison. In 1987 the United States Congress authorized the naming of a Customs House after Inspector Ward.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-507094C8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Inspector Ward served with the United States Department of the Treasury.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Inspector Ward.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Inspector Kenneth G. Ward is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 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 53.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 47 of 94 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kenneth G. Ward's cause is highlighted.
How Kenneth G. Ward Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Kenneth G. Ward is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Kenneth G. Ward was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
, WA.
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
