Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer David Tinsley suffered a fatal heart attack while searching for a suspect following a vehicle pursuit and foot pursuit of a suspect in a stolen car.
The man drove onto a the Rivergreenway footpath along the St. Mary's River in the area of Candlelite Court where he crashed and fled on foot. Officer Tinsley assisted with a canine track of the suspect until the man was taken into custody. He was returning to his patrol car where he suddenly collapsed.
Other officers began CPR and he was transported to St. Joseph Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
Officer Tinsley had served with the Fort Wayne Police Department for 16 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three children, his parents, three siblings, two nieces, and two nephews.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-E518358B- 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.
Police Officer Tinsley gave the Fort Wayne Police Department 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Wayne community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Tinsley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer David Alexander Tinsley 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 IN, 24 of 503 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.8% of this state's fallen. That is 0.8 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Fort Wayne Police Department, 1 of 6 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Alexander Tinsley's cause is highlighted.
How David Alexander Tinsley Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. David Alexander Tinsley is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Fort Wayne Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
