HARRISBURG, PA — Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police on Monday honored Corporal Timothy J. O’Connor Jr. during a memorial service marking the agency’s 121st anniversary and recognizing troopers who died in the line of duty.
O’Connor, a 15-year law enforcement veteran, was killed March 8, 2026, becoming the 105th member of the Pennsylvania State Police to die in the line of duty.
The ceremony at department headquarters in Dauphin County included the formal addition of O’Connor’s name to the Pennsylvania State Police Memorial Wall.
O’Connor, a Chester County resident and 2004 graduate of Henderson High School, enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police in September 2010 as part of the 131st Cadet Class.
He served in patrol at Troop J in Avondale from 2011 to 2016, later joining the Troop J Vice Unit specializing in drug enforcement before transferring to the Embreeville station in 2022, where he was promoted to corporal.
At about 8:16 p.m. on March 8, O’Connor responded to reports of an erratic driver in Honey Brook Township and initiated a traffic stop minutes later near Route 10 and Michael Road in West Caln Township.
As he approached the vehicle, the suspect opened fire from inside the car and later died by suicide at the scene.
O’Connor was transported to Paoli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He also served as a volunteer firefighter with the First West Chester Fire Company and received multiple commendations, including a 2018 “Top Gun” award for drug interdiction and a 2023 Chester County Manhunt Service Award.
He is survived by his wife and their daughter.
Funeral services were held March 18 at St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown, followed by a law enforcement procession.
Donations in his memory have been directed to the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association Survivor Fund, which supports families of fallen troopers.
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