The DEA Honor Roll

Thirty-nine-year-old Detective Horace Ford died as a result of wounds he received when he tried to thwart a hold-up in the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company branch office located on Kissena Boulevard in Flushing, Queens on November 6, 1978. Det. Ford worked part-time in the bank as a teller and was behind the counter when the robber lunged over the countertop brandishing a gun and announcing it was a stickup. Det. Ford drew his revolver and exchanged shots with the perp. Hit twice, the Detective was rushed to Booth Memorial Hospital where he expired despite doctors’ efforts to save his life. The gunman died in the gutter near to the bank when he attempted fled after being hit by Detective Ford’s bullets.

A 12-year veteran of the force, Det. Ford had twice received Commendations for outstanding bravery and he earned 24 other medals for his performance prior to his death. He was survived by his wife and a daughter, as well as parents, two brothers and five sisters. He was eulogized at Bethany Baptist Church in Queens, and was buried near his birthplace of Fairmont, North Carolina. More than forty of his brother officers from the Street Crime Unit attended the burial service down south.

An NYPD K-9 for the Counterterrorism Bureau was named in his honor.