Dennis Oliver Simmonds

Boston Police Department — Roxbury Crossing, MA

Illness

End of Watch April 10, 2014

Age 28

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

The Vigil Panel 163 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 105

Incident

Sergeant D.J. Simmonds suffered a fatal brain aneurysm while working out at the Boston Police Academy gym at approximately 1:30 pm.

Officer Simmonds had suffered a head injury on April 19, 2013, when he was struck by shrapnel from an explosive device that was detonated during a shootout with the Boston Marathon Bombers in Watertown, Massachusetts, the day after they murdered Police Officer Sean Collier of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Department.

After he collapsed in the gym, he was rushed to a local hospital, where he passed away.

Sergeant Simmonds had served with the Boston Police Department for six years.

Survivors

Survivors include his parents.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MA-5459D82E
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.
Sergeant Simmonds gave the Boston Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Simmonds.

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

Agency

Department Boston Police Department

Location Roxbury Crossing, MA

Platform Identity bpd.suffolk.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 10, 2014

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

Age 28

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Cause Detail Duty related illness

Weapon Explosives; Bomb

Offender Shot and killed; Sentenced to death

Sergeant Dennis Oliver Simmonds is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MA, 59 of 469 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.

At Boston Police Department, 22 of 106 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 20.8% of this agency's fallen.

Boston Police Department

of 106 officers

20.8% Illness

MA — Statewide

of 469 officers

12.6% Illness

Nationwide

2,974

of 32,508 officers

9.1% Illness