Isaiah L. McLain
Agency patch
Officer

Isaiah L. McLain

Malden Police Department — Malden, MA
Felonious
End of Watch November 12, 1934
Age 65
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
Badge 1
The Vigil Panel 69 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer McLain was shot and killed while questioning a man about a robbery. He was approached by a citizen who spotted the man who had robbed him the previous day. Officer McLain jumped on the running board of a vehicle that was driving in the direction where the man was. When he got to the man he hopped off the running board and began to question him. The suspect suddenly pulled a handgun and shot Officer McLain in the face. The suspect fled the scene but was arrested by members of the Metropolitan Police Department. He was found guilty of Officer McLain's murder and executed.

Survivors

Officer McLain had been with the agency for over 30 years and was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-292BF7E7
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

30 years. You could have gone home.
Officer McLain gave the Malden Police Department 30 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Malden community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer McLain.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Malden, MA
Platform Identity maldpd.middlesex.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 12, 1934
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
Age 65
Badge Number 1
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun
Offender Executed

Officer Isaiah L. McLain is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MA, 199 of 469 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.4% of this state's fallen. That is 11.8 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Malden Police Department, 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Malden Police Department
4
of 4 officers
100% Felonious
MA — Statewide
199
of 469 officers
42.4% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Isaiah L. McLain's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Isaiah L. McLain Compares

Age at End of Watch
65
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
30
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Executed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Isaiah L. McLain is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Isaiah L. McLain was killed by handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518