Police Officer James Holmes
New York City Housing Authority Police Department
New York
End of Watch: Sunday, March 23, 1986
Biographical Info
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Badge Number: 1875
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Sunday, March 23, 1986
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 24 years in prison
Officer Holmes was shot and killed while off-duty when a man attempted to rob him. Officer Holmes was visiting a friend at 361 Livonia Avenue in Brooklyn.
After entering the building he was approached by a man who attempted to rob him. Officer Holmes resisted and the suspect was able to knock Officer holmes
unconscious. The suspect then stole Officer Holmes' firearm and fled. He then returned and shot officer holmes in the chest, killing him.
The suspect was arrested after he told his probation officer that he thought he might be wanted for killing a Police Officer. He was later convicted of 2nd
Degree Murder, 1st Degree Robbery and 2nd Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. He was sentenced to 32 1/2 years to life in prison. The suspect is eligible
for parole on May 31, 2019.
Officer Holmes had served with the New York City Housing Authority Police Department for 17 years and was survived by his wife and four children. He was
assigned to Service Area 3.
"...government programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country until one day...we will
wake to find that we have socialism, and...one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children, what
it once was like in America when men were free.
-Ronald Reagan/Norman Thomas
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
- President Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)
"We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around."
- President Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)
"From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is
superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern
someone else?"
- President Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)
wake to find that we have socialism, and...one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children, what
it once was like in America when men were free.
-Ronald Reagan/Norman Thomas
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
- President Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)
"We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around."
- President Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)
"From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is
superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern
someone else?"
- President Ronald Reagan (January 20, 1981)
