Timothy J. Cantlin

Buffalo Police Department — Buffalo, NY

Felonious

End of Watch January 12, 1896

The Vigil Panel 35 · Column 3 · Line 7 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 50

Incident

Sergeant Cantlin was shot and killed by a Buffalo Patrolman he planned to make a complain against. Sergeant Cantlin found the patrolman off his beat and inside a bar. When the Patrolman exited the bar, Sergeant Cantlin approached him and told him he was suspended. He ordered the Patrolman back to the station house where a complaint to the Captain would be filed. The Patrolman asked Sergeant Cantlin to forget about filing a complaint, but Sergeant Cantlin replayed "I can't do it, you have to go to the station house and see the Captain about it." "Take that, then," the Patrolman said and he fired a shot into Sergeant Cantlin's right side. Sergeant Cantlin fell to the ground and the Patrolman walked to the station house, telling the reserve officers inside that he was there to warm up. Sergeant Cantlin had lay were he fell for half an hour, but never lost consciousness. Taking his whistle from his pocket he blew alarms until he attracted the attention of another Patrolman, who he told what had happened. Sergeant Cantlin was removed to the hospital where he later died. The Patrolman who shot Sergeant Cantlin lit his pipe and chatted with the reserve officers for a short time and started out of the station house when the Patrolman who had found Sergeant Cantlin approached him and said "You are under arrest for shooting Sergeant Cantlin." He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in Auburn state prison. He was pardoned by Governor Higgins in 1910. Sergeant Cantlin was assigned to Precinct 7.

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Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sergeant Cantlin served with the Buffalo Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Buffalo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Buffalo Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Buffalo, Erie County, NY

Platform Identity bpd.erie.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 12, 1896

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Timothy is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1896, 59 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 129th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

When

January holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month

By day of the week

III

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was officer's handgun, in 5.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded