John Day

New Orleans Police Department — New Orleans, LA

Felonious

End of Watch July 24, 1900

The Vigil Panel 16 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Keepsakes Department 127

Incident

Captain John Day was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a violent suspect. On July 23rd, 1900, three New Orleans police Officers approached a man who was sitting with a friend. The subject produced a handgun and opened fire, wounding one of the officers. The following day, a team of officers tracked the suspect to his home on Fourth Street, between Rampart Street and Saratoga Street. The man opened fire on them with a .38 caliber Winchester rifle as they entered the home, killing Captain John Day and Peter Patrolman Lamb. Other officers immediately surrounded the home, however, the man was able to escape. Investigators received a tip on July 27th, 1900, indicating that the man was hiding in a home in the 1200 block of Saratoga Street. As officers attempted to take him into custody he opened fire, killing Sergeant Gabe Porteous and Corporal John Lally. The man then barricaded himself inside of the home. Keeper Van Kuren and several other officers took up a position in a home at 1209 Rampart Street that provided a view of the home in which the man was barricaded. As Keeper Van Kuren stood in a doorway of the home the man opened fire from a window, killing him. The suspect was shot and killed by other officers when he attempted to escape from the home.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: NW-MK6N-3V22-N earlier record number BO-US-LA-4D833BBC
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Captain Day served with the New Orleans Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the New Orleans community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Day.

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

Agency

Department New Orleans Police Department

Type Police Department

Location New Orleans, Orleans Parish, LA

Platform Identity nopd.orleans.la.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 24, 1900

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

The Sacrifice · Felonious

John is one of 15,741 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.2% of the 27,543 remembered there.

33,910 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1900, 86 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 74th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

When

July holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month

By day of the week

III

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.2% of all 27,543 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was rifle, in 5.9% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded