Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Vincent Lucarini was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect who had shot and killed Patrolman Polk Caraway just minutes earlier. At approximately 9:45 am four men attempted to rob the payroll car of the Ford Motor Company on Union Street. The suspect opened fire as the payroll was being brought into a building. Patrolman Caraway was instantly killed and his partner was wounded. A Ford Motor Company guard was also killed. Lieutenant Lucarini was at Police Headquarters when the alarm was sounded. He flagged down a car driven by a civilian and, along with two other officers, pursued the suspects along Poplar Avenue. As the car entered the town of Collierville, they were met with a hail of gunfire by a posse who thought they were the suspects. Lieutenant Lucarini was struck and killed by one shot. Later that night three suspects were arrested. Three days later the fourth suspect was arrested. All four suspects were convicted of murder and attempted robbery. They were subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Lieutenant Lucarini had served with the Memphis Police Department for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, elderly parents, and three siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-041889A7- 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.
Lieutenant Lucarini gave the Memphis Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Memphis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Lucarini.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Vincent Nicholas Lucarini 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 TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Memphis Police Department, 25 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Vincent Nicholas Lucarini's cause is highlighted.
How Vincent Nicholas Lucarini Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Vincent Nicholas Lucarini is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from Memphis Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
