Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Martin C. McCaw was accidentally shot and killed when his partner tripped and his service revolver discharged. The two officers chased two gunmen into a vacant lot at 653 Blue Island Avenue. Patrolman McCaw had just captured one of the men when his partner tripped and discharged the revolver. The round struck Patrolman McCaw in the head. He was transported to Mother Cabrini Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Both men fled the scene after the shot was fired. Patrolman McCaw had received a citizen award months earlier for rescuing five people from a burning apartment building in January. He was assigned to District 12 and was a seven-year veteran of the department.
Survivors
He is survived by his five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-3CE5B041- 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.
Patrolman McCaw gave the Chicago Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman McCaw.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Martin C. McCaw is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Chicago Police Department, 107 of 571 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 18.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Martin C. McCaw's cause is highlighted.
How Martin C. McCaw Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Martin C. McCaw is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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