Lieutenant
Thurman Earl Sharp
Marion County Sheriff's Department
Sunday, December 25, 1988
Age: 55
Served: 22 years, 3 months
Badge #: 67
Panel 44W, Line 10
Panel L5, Line 3
Marion County Sheriff's Department

Incident Details

Cause of Death
Gunfire
Date/Time of Incident
Sunday, December 25, 1988
08:00 am
Incident to Death Duration
Same day
Incident Location
9400 Priority Way West Drive, Indianapolis
Incident County
Marion
Incident Township
Washington
Weapon Used
.380-caliber handgun
Suspect Disposition
Never apprehended
Burial Place
Lincoln Memory Gardens, Whitestown
Share this memorial

   Lieutenant Thurman Sharp was shot and killed in the early morning hours on Christmas while working off-duty security in uniform at the Presidential Industrial Park.

   He was found outside his patrol car with his service weapon holstered by his day-shift relief officer, having been shot three times at point-blank range.

   Lieutenant Sharp was found in a remote area behind a retaining wall and his patrol car was hidden behind a Dumpster in an area with heavy equipment.

   He worked the late shift Christmas Eve to permit an officer to be home with his family.

   The suspects responsible for killing Lieutenant Sharp were never apprehended.

   Lieutenant Sharp, from Indianapolis, was survived by his wife, six children ranging from 15 to 38 years in age, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, born a few weeks before his death.

   His brother-in-law, Deputy Chief Gary L. Martin, of the Lake County Sheriff's Department, was killed in the line of duty on August 22, 2006, along with Lieutenant Gary Dudley of the Indiana State Police.



The responsibilities of the Marion County Sheriff's Department – Law Enforcement Division (1822–2006) are now under the jurisdiction of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

View all fallen officers from the
Marion County Sheriff's Department

Donate in memory of
Lieutenant Sharp