Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Walter McCarthy was accidentally shot and killed in the parking lot of the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department at 1154 Ridge Road in Homewood, Illinois, at approximately 10:00 am.
He was exiting his vehicle in the parking lot when his revolver was accidentally discharged. The round struck him in the head, killing him. Detective McCarthy normally carried his revolver wrapped in a handkerchief inside his pocket instead of in its holster and it is believed that resulted in the accidental discharge.
Detective McCarthy had served with the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department for three years and had previously served with the Chicago Police Department for 26 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, grandson, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-C836CEC0- 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
29 years. You could have gone home.
Detective McCarthy gave the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department 29 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Maywood community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective McCarthy.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Walter Patrick McCarthy 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 Cook County Sheriff's Police Department, 3 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Walter Patrick McCarthy's cause is highlighted.
How Walter Patrick McCarthy Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Walter Patrick McCarthy is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Cook County Sheriff's Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
