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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

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Marion County Sheriff's Department

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Lieutenant Thurman Earl Sharp

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Lieutenant
Thurman Earl Sharp
Marion County Sheriff's Department
Sunday, December 25, 1988

Panel 44W, Line 10
Panel L5, Line 3

   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.

Personal Details

Age: 55
Law Enforcement Service:
22 years, 3 months
Badge #: 67
Burial Place:
Lincoln Memory Gardens, Whitestown