David T. Dunigan
Agency patch
Lieutenant

David T. Dunigan

Metropolitan Police Department — Washington, DC
Felonious
End of Watch May 21, 1918
Age 63
Tour of Duty 43 yrs
Badge LIEUTENANT
The Vigil Panel 34 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant David Dunigan was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a murder suspect who had shot and killed two other officers earlier in the day. Officer John Conrad and Deputy Lawrence McParlin, of the Charles County Sheriff's Office, MD, attempted to serve a warrant on a subject at 76 I Street, NW when the subject shot and killed them. The suspect fled to 1400 Carrollsburg Place, SW, where Lieutenant Dunigan confronted him. During the ensuing shootout, Lieutenant Dunigan wounded the suspect as well. The suspect escaped but was recaptured and hanged on January 22, 1925, after claiming 12 murders, including Patrolman William Holmes of Chicago. Lieutenant Dunigan had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 43 years assigned to the Fourth Precinct. He was survived by five adult children. He is buried in Olivet Cemetery, Washington, DC.

Survivors

He was survived by five adult children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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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

43 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Dunigan gave the Metropolitan Police Department 43 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Washington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Dunigan.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity mpdc.dc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 21, 1918
Tour of Duty 43 yrs
Age 63
Badge Number LIEUTENANT
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

David 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.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1918, 165 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 19th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

David was 63. 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. David had served 43 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Metropolitan Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, David among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Lieutenant David T. Dunigan

Metropolitan Police Department · End of Watch May 21, 1918

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 35-E

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