Patrolman Patrick J. Wallace, Jr.

Patrick J. Wallace, Jr.

Patrolman Patrick Wallace was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a suspect on an outstanding warrant near the intersection of Fargo Street and Singer Place.

Patrolman Wallace and his partner were on patrol in the Brushton area of Pittsburgh and were attempting to arrest a suspect for failure to appear in court. The suspect fled before they could arrest him, and a foot chase ensued. As soon as the officers caught the suspect, a second suspect, crouched behind a parked car, fired at Patrolman Wallace, striking him in the chest and killing him. The other officer returned fire, missing both suspects. The two suspects fled the scene.

The 22-year-old gunman, an escapee from Western Penitentiary, was captured in Pittsburg two months later. The suspect, serving a 5 to 15-year sentence for nine armed robberies, failed to return to prison after being given a weekend furlough the last weekend in May 1974. After Patrolman Wallace's murder, the news reports of numerous Western Penitentiary furloughed inmates not returning to prison enraged the public. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on March 28, 1975. His sentence was later commuted to life. The suspect was granted compassionate release from prison in April 2023. He died while in hospice care in June 2023.

Patrolman Wallace was a United States Army veteran and served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for more than five years, assigned to Zone 5 Police Station. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and parents.