Roll of Honor
David George Whitson
Incident
Master Police Officer David Whitson was shot and killed after he and two other officers responded to a call of a man brandishing a knife on Vine Street.
When MPO Whitson arrived at the scene he became engaged in a struggle with the suspect, who was armed with two knives. The other officers, in an attempt to rescue MPO Whitson, used deadly force against the suspect. MPO Whitson and the suspect both suffered fatal gunshot wounds during the altercation.
MPO Whitson had served with the Bowling Green Police Department for eight years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-D0D2EC3C- 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.
Master Police Officer Whitson gave the Bowling Green Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bowling Green community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Master Police Officer Whitson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Master Police Officer David George Whitson 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 KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 14.6 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David George Whitson's cause is highlighted.
How David George Whitson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David George Whitson is highlighted in Oct.