Police Officer John F. Frey

John F. Frey

Police Officer John Frey was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on 7th Street between Campbell Street and Willow Street.

During the stop, he requested backup. When the backup officer arrived, they removed the two occupants of the vehicle and separated them for questioning.

During the questioning, the male suspect opened fire, striking both officers. Officer Frey was struck in the chest, stomach, and leg. He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a local hospital. The other officer was struck in the chest but was able to return fire and wound the suspect, who was later apprehended. The suspect served three years in prison and was later killed in 1989.

The two suspects were members of the radical racist group The Black Panthers.

Officer Frey had served with the Oakland Police Department for 18 months. Survivors include his wife and daughter.

The Black Panther Party was a black nationalist and Marxist revolutionary political and militant organization active in the United States between 1966 and 1982. 

Members and former members of the group were responsible for the murders of over 20 law enforcement officers and the wounding of dozens more across the nation.

Please click here to visit all the law enforcement officers who have died as a result of the Black Panther Party's violent activism.