Patrolman Richard E. Pelkey

Richard E. Pelkey

Patrolman Richard Pelkey succumbed to wounds he received when he was shot in a standoff with a burglar at a cabin in Lake Placid, New York, on August 5, 1954.

He and other officers had cornered a wanted burglar who was an AWOL Air Force major. The suspect, hiding in a shower stall, opened fire and struck three officers. Officer Pelkey suffered a fatal wound and died a week later.

The suspect was later caught in Reno, Nevada. He was convicted of second-degree murder but only served fourteen years in prison. The man was later killed in an automobile crash in 1970.

Patrolman Pelkey had served with the Lake Placid Police Department for eight years and had previously served for five years with the Quartermaster Corps during WWII. He was survived by his wife and two children.