Sherman Griffiths

Sherman Griffiths was a United States Army veteran and a respected eight-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, where he was remembered by loved ones and colleagues as a "gentle giant." A White / Caucasian man, he was 36 years old and served as a detective in the department's Drug Control Unit. He was married to his wife, Deirdre, and was the father of two daughters, Hilary and Melanie. His commitment to service ran deep in his family, a legacy that would become even more pronounced after his death.

On the evening of Wednesday, February 17, 1988, Detective Griffiths and his unit were assigned to serve a high-risk search warrant at a third-floor apartment at 104 Bellevue Street in the Dorchester neighborhood. The location was a known site for illegal narcotics sales. At around 8:00 p.m., as the team attempted to make entry, Detective Griffiths used a sledgehammer to breach the fortified apartment door. From inside the apartment, a person fired a .45 caliber handgun through the door. A single bullet struck Detective Griffiths in the head. He was rushed from the scene for emergency medical care but succumbed to the devastating injury the following morning, on February 18, 1988.

In the chaotic moments after the shooting, fellow officers secured the scene and began a search for the shooter. The investigation quickly led them to an adjacent first-floor apartment, where they found several people gathered. Among them was a Jamaican national who had reportedly entered the apartment just after the gunfire, frantically trying to pass off the handgun he was carrying. After one person refused to take it, another resident took the weapon and hid it under a mattress. Officers located the gun, which was later confirmed to be the weapon that fired the fatal shot.

The suspect, who was in the country illegally, was arrested at the scene. He was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder and armed assault with intent to murder. The case, however, took a turn that stunned the law enforcement community and the Griffiths family. A change-of-venue request was granted, and the trial was moved out of Boston. In 1990, a jury acquitted the suspect of the murder charge. Following the verdict, he was taken into custody by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service and was deported to Jamaica. The outcome left a lasting sense of injustice for those who mourned Detective Griffiths.

The loss of Sherman Griffiths was felt profoundly by his family, his department, and the city. More than 4,500 law enforcement officers from across the region attended his funeral at St. Agatha’s Church in Milton. He was laid to rest in Milton Cemetery. In a remarkable and powerful tribute to their fallen brother, five of Sherman Griffiths's brothers were inspired to join the Boston Police Department, carrying on his legacy of service.

Detective Griffiths's sacrifice has been honored in numerous ways over the years. His name is engraved on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Panel 15, East Line 9. It is also on the Boston Police Department's Hero Wall at its headquarters and on the Massachusetts State Law Enforcement Memorial on the grounds of the State House. In May 2013, 25 years after his death, the city of Boston dedicated a "Hero Square" in his honor at the corner of Moraine and Centre Streets in Jamaica Plain. His widow, daughters, and brothers were joined by the mayor and police commissioner to unveil the commemorative plaque, ensuring his memory endures on the city's streets.