Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Harrelson was accidentally shot and killed by his partner as the two officers chased a suspect on Michigan Avenue, between 4th Street and 5th Street. Officer Harrelson was shot in the back by his partner as both officers began firing at the suspect. Officer Harrelson had served with the Detroit Police Department for 7 years and was assigned to the Central Station.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-05182D59- 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 Harrelson gave the Detroit Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Harrelson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer James C. Harrelson 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 MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James C. Harrelson's cause is highlighted.
How James C. Harrelson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James C. Harrelson is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
