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Detective

Lester Dorman

San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco, CA

Felonious

End of Watch December 5, 1920

Age 29

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

The Vigil Panel 40 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 105

Incident

Detective Lester Dorman, Sergeant Miles Jackson and Sheriff James Petray of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department were shot and killed as they attempted to arrest several suspects staying in a Santa Rosa home. The suspects, members of the Howard Street or Spud Murphy gang, had brutally attacked a group of girls in San Francisco and were tracked to a house on West 7th Street in Santa Rosa. The three officers entered the house where the suspects were staying to arrest them. One suspect was sitting on a couch, another one was sitting in the corner of the same room. As the officers began placing the suspects under arrest, the suspect sitting on the couch jumped up with a revolver and shot Detective Dorman, who later died. Sergeant Jackson, who was in another room rushed to the shots, but he too was shot and killed. Before he fell dead, Sergeant Jackson was able to shoot and wound one suspect. Sheriff Petray was also shot and killed during the incident. The suspects were arrested later in the day and brought to the local jail. An angry group of men demanded the killers be turned over to them to be hanged. After a standoff the mob finally prevailed and the suspects were dragged from their cells and hung. Detective Dorman had served with the San Francisco Police Department for six years. He was survived by his wife and parents. He is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemtery, Colma, San Mateo County, California.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and parents.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Dorman gave the San Francisco Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Dorman.

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

Agency

Department San Francisco Police Department

Type Police Department

Location San Francisco, CA

Platform Identity sfpd.sf.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 5, 1920

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Lester is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1920, 209 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 9th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Lester was 29. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Lester had served 6 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

December holds 9.4% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded