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EDWIN C. SHANAHAN
1898 - 1925
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On October 11, 1925, Special Agent Edwin C. Shanahan,
the first FBI Agent killed in the line of duty,
was murdered by Martin J. Durkin, a car thief who
had previously wounded four police officers to
avoid capture, in Chicago, Illinois. Upon receiving
word from underworld sources that Durkin was planning
to hide a stolen automobile in a certain Chicago
garage, SA Shanahan and officers of the Chicago
Police Department proceeded to that garage to wait
for Durkin to appear. When Durkin drove the stolen
car into the garage, SA Shanahan, who was alone
at the time, attempted to arrest him. However,
Durkin swept an automatic pistol from the front
seat of the car and shot the Agent in the chest.
SA Shanahan returned fire, but Durkin escaped as
his victim collapsed. Death was almost instantaneous.
Durkin was sentenced to 35 years in prison for
SA Shanahan's murder and received an additional
15 years on stolen motor vehicle charges.
SA Shanahan was born in Chicago, Illinois, in
1898. He entered on duty with the FBI, then the
Bureau of Investigation, in 1920. SA Shanahan was
27 years old when he died.
Read more about the day's tragic events in the
FBI History section: Durkin
- Murder of an FBI Special Agent.