Alvin Clayton Palmer was a 27-year-old officer with the Philadelphia Housing Authority Police Department when he was shot during a pursuit on April 11, 1995. The chase began after the owner of a recently robbed restaurant flagged down Palmer and his partner near Fifth Street and Westmoreland Street. Officers detained one female suspect, then pursued male accomplices; during that pursuit Palmer was shot in the face.

Officer Palmer survived the initial injury but died the next day, April 12, 1995. A shooter was later identified and received a life sentence. Palmer, a United States Marine Corps veteran, had been with the Housing Authority force for 20 months and is survived by his wife, son, and two daughters. Colleagues remember his bravery, and the case highlighted concerns about protective equipment not being standard issue.

Did anyone in the Philadelphia area at the time have information about that robbery or the chase that led to Officer Palmer’s death?