On the evening of January 5, 1922, Detective Sergeants William A. Miller (Shield #120) and Francis J. M. Buckley (Shield #012) were transporting a known perpetrator, 20-year-old Luther Boddy, to the West 135th Street Precinct stationhouse. About 100 feet from the station, Boddy pulled a hidden gun and wildly opened fire. Miller, age 46, was hit in the head, dying instantly. Buckley, age 35, was hit in the abdomen and while able to give testimony as to what happened, he died in Harlem Hospital the next day. The killer fled down Seventh Avenue, changed into a disguise, and after commandeering a taxi, he forced the cabbie to drive him to Philadelphia. After a massive manhunt, he was eventually caught and was executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing.
Miller and his wife had eight children. Buckley and his wife had three. In May of 1923, Police Commissioner Enright awarded both Detectives the Medal of Honor.
Read more about Miller and Buckley in the January 30, 2022, “Justice Story” in the New York Daily News:
William Miller and Francis J Buckley NY Daily News
Read about Medal Day 1923 in the New York Times:
Miller & Buckley — Medal of Honor 1923
