David B. Burns

Pawtucket Police Department — Pawtucket, RI

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch August 18, 1925

Age 33

The Vigil Panel 49 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 6

Incident

Special Officer David Burns drowned while attempting to rescue a child who was thrown into Narragansett Bay when the boiler on the excursion ship Mackinac exploded.

The owner of the ship had invited Officer Burns and other officers on board just prior to the explosion. Fifty-three people were killed as a result of the accident.

Officer Burns was a British Army veteran of WWI.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RI-10B824B3
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. David is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Special Officer Burns served with the Pawtucket Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Pawtucket community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Pawtucket Police Department

Type Other

Location Pawtucket, Providence County, RI

Platform Identity pawtpd.providence.ri.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 18, 1925

Age 33

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

David B. Burns served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Special Officer David B. Burns is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In RI, 23 of 55 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.8% of this state's fallen. That is 41.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Pawtucket Police Department, 2 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.

Pawtucket Police Department

of 7 officers

28.6% Accident

RI — Statewide

of 55 officers

41.8% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,756 officers

0% Accident