Detective Thomas E. Kittinger

Thomas E. Kittinger

Detective Thomas Kittinger was killed when he was intentionally dragged by a man wanted on a moral charge. Detective Kittinger was off-duty when he spotted the man near Jefferson High School. When he reached into the vehicle, the man rolled the window up on his arms and began to drive away, dragging him several blocks.

He was thrown to the ground when the suspect crashed the car into a second vehicle. The 23-year-old driver was arrested and charged with murder. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years.

Detective Kittinger was a United States Army veteran who had been promoted to detective two months earlier with the Roanoke City Police Department. He was survived by his wife and 10-year-old son.