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Detective

Sean Gerald Carrington

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

Felonious

End of Watch January 19, 1998

Age 28

Tour of Duty 10 yrs

Badge 883

The Vigil Panel 144 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 1,221

Incident

Sean Carrington was born and raised in New York City. He completed two years at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and joined the New York City Department of Correction in 1989. He was appointed to the New York City Police Department on 20 February 1994 and first assigned to the Housing Division. He later moved to Narcotics, where he was promoted to detective on 25 September 1997.

On 19 January 1998, Detective Carrington was part of a Bronx Narcotics team investigating the killing of two drug dealers whose bodies had been left in the 45 Precinct. The team went to a building in the 46 Precinct known for repeated drug arrests. After an undercover officer made a purchase, Detective Carrington and Det. Louis Robinson, working as backup, entered the building and were confronted by two men, who opened fire. One of them, Leon Smith, a parolee, shot Detective Carrington three times and hit Detective Robinson once in the hip; Robinson survived because the bullet deflected off his radio. Det. Thomas Reilly got into the building when an elderly resident unlocked the door and chased Smith up three flights of stairs, shooting and killing him. The second gunman, Maurice Bolling, fled to Virginia but was arrested on a 1992 warrant and confessed.

At Medal Day in 1999, Detective Carrington was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He received a hero's funeral and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Survivors

He is survived by his fiancée, his 2-year-old daughter, and his mother.

In Our Keeping

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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.
Detective Carrington gave the New York City Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Carrington.

— 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 January 19, 1998

Tour of Duty 10 yrs

Age 28

Badge Number 883

Gender Male

Assignment Bronx Narcotics

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

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

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1998, 78 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 89th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Sean was 28. 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. Sean had served 10 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

January holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

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