Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Frank Ahern was accidentally shot and killed with his own weapon while using a patrol call box at Euclid and Fountain in the Tenth District. He threw his night stick over his shoulder, which struck the hammer on his gun and caused it to discharge, striking him in the leg. He was expected to make a recovery but blood poisoning set in. He was advised that he would have to have his leg amputated in order to save his life. Officer Ahern refused the amputation and as a result died from the wound 35 days after the incident.
Survivors
Officer Ahern had been with the agency for five years and was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-E5F2215A- 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 Ahern gave the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Ahern.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Frank J. Ahern 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 MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 56 of 176 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank J. Ahern's cause is highlighted.
How Frank J. Ahern Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frank J. Ahern is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
175 officers from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
