Thomas Kennedy Duggan
Agency patch
Police Officer

Thomas Kennedy Duggan

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA
Felonious
End of Watch February 22, 1972
Age 65
Tour of Duty 25 yrs
The Vigil Panel 109 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Thomas Duggan suffered a fatal heart attack after being assaulted by a student at George Washington High School.

He was attempting to remove the disruptive student from the school when the struggle ensued. He was punched in the chest and suffered a broken rib and punctured lung.

The student was charged with disorderly conduct.

Officer Duggan had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 25 years and was assigned to the 7th District.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-C1E6751C
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

25 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Duggan gave the Philadelphia Police Department 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Duggan.

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

Agency

Location Philadelphia, PA
Platform Identity ppd.philadelphia.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 22, 1972
Tour of Duty 25 yrs
Age 65
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Assault
Weapon Person
Offender Charged with disorderly conduct

Police Officer Thomas Kennedy Duggan 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 6.9 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Philadelphia Police Department, 162 of 378 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Philadelphia Police Department
162
of 378 officers
42.9% Felonious
PA — Statewide
597
of 1,261 officers
47.3% 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. Thomas Kennedy Duggan'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 Thomas Kennedy Duggan Compares

Age at End of Watch
65
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
25
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Charged with disorderly conduct

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Kennedy Duggan is highlighted in Feb.

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. Thomas Kennedy Duggan was killed by person.

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

Incident Location