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Lieutenant

Floyd Horton

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

Felonious

End of Watch December 16, 1920

Age 43

Tour of Duty 25 yrs

Badge No

The Vigil Panel 92 · Column 1 · Line 11 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 1,221

Incident

Lieutenant Floyd Horton died of a gunshot wound he received when he attempted to arrest a suspect who had just robbed a man. Lieutenant Horton was off duty and walking home when he heard a man yelling, "Police! Stop, thief!" Lieutenant Horton ran to the location and was told that two men had just held up an elevator operator inside 540 West 146 Street, Manhattan. The suspects were escaping in an automobile, so Lieutenant Horton jumped onto the running board of a taxi to catch up to the suspects. The suspects fired at Lieutenant Horton, and he returned fire. Lieutenant Horton jumped onto the running board of the suspects' vehicle and exchanged several shots with them before he was struck in the chest and fell to the street at the intersection of Broadway and 146th Street. As the vehicle fled, Lieutenant Horton was able to write down the license plate number. He was removed to the hospital, where he died a few hours later. One suspect was found dead from his wounds later in the day by a patrolman. Detectives were able to locate the escape vehicle and arrested the second suspect. A witness identified the second suspect as the man who fired the fatal shots at Lieutenant Horton. He was charged with murder and later convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. Lieutenant Horton had served as a police officer for 25 years, starting his career with the Brooklyn Police Department and later serving with New York City Police Department after the two departments were consolidated. He was assigned to the 40th Precinct, the modern-day 30th Precinct.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and several children.

In Our Keeping

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

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Tributes

25 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Horton gave the New York City Police Department 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Horton.

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

Agency

Department New York City Police Department

Type Police Department

Location New York, NY

Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 16, 1920

Tour of Duty 25 yrs

Age 43

Badge Number No

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Floyd 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

Floyd was 43. 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. Floyd had served 25 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. Thursdays: 14%.

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 gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded