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Roy J. Carney
Officer

Roy J. Carney

Wilmington Police Dept. — Wilmington, NC
Felonious
United States flag North Carolina flag
End of Watch April 1, 1937
Age 27
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 73 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 11

Incident

Officer Roy Carney was struck and killed by a drunk driver while he and his partner pushed their bicycle up a hill on Third Street at the beginning of their shift. The drunk driver was arrested by Officer Carney's partner at the scene and was charged with murder. Two months later a jury acquitted the driver. Officer Carney had been with the agency for 13 months.

Survivors

He was survived by a wife and son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-AB4DEDE7
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

You barely got started.
Officer Carney gave the Wilmington Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Wilmington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Carney.

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

Agency

Department Wilmington Police Dept.
Location Wilmington, NC
Platform Identity wpd.newhanover.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 1, 1937
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 27
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Automobile; Alcohol involved
Offender Acquitted

Officer Roy J. Carney 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Wilmington Police Dept., 4 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Wilmington Police Dept.
4
of 12 officers
33.3% Felonious
NC — Statewide
385
of 664 officers
58% 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. Roy J. Carney'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 Roy J. Carney Compares

Age at End of Watch
27
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1.1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Acquitted

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Roy J. Carney is highlighted in Apr.

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. Roy J. Carney was killed by automobile; alcohol involved.

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