BPD Remembers: The men and women of the Boston Police Department remember Patrolman Felix Francis “Frank” Sharkey who died in the line of duty 84-years ago today on June 3, 1942. Patrolman Sharkey responded alongside fellow officers to a medical emergency at 5 Napier Park in Dorchester, where a man suffering from spinal meningitis had become combative and refused medical treatment.
During the course of the struggle, Patrolman Sharkey was physically engaged in subduing the patient throughout the residence. Immediately following the incident, he collapsed and was rushed to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead from a fatal heart attack.
Patrolman Sharkey was 50-years-old and had served the Boston Police Department for twenty three years at the time of his death. Patrolman Sharkey was survived by his wife and four adult children.
Patrolman Sharkey’s name is etched on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.. His name is also forever engraved on the Hero Wall at Boston Police Headquarters.