Daniel Faulkner
Encyclopedia
Daniel J. Faulkner was a police
officer in the American
city of Philadelphia who was shot and killed in the line of duty. Mumia Abu-Jamal
was convicted of first-degree murder for the shooting and sentenced to death. Faulkner's murder was the culmination of a traffic stop in downtown Philadelphia, not initially involving Abu-Jamal, which escalated into an exchange of gunfire in which Abu-Jamal was himself shot and wounded by Officer Faulkner. Since 2000, the City of Philadelphia has memorialized Faulkner with a street designation and a commemorative plaque.
Catholic
family from Southwest Philadelphia
. Faulkner's father, who drove a trolley car, died of a heart attack when Faulker was five. Faulkner's mother went to work and relied on her older children to help raise him. Faulkner dropped out of high school
, but earned his diploma and an associate's degree
in criminal justice
while serving in the United States Army
. In 1975, he left the Army, worked briefly as a corrections officer, and then joined the Philadelphia Police Department
. Aspiring to be a city prosecutor, Faulkner enrolled in college to earn his bachelor's degree
in criminal justice. He married in 1979. On the evening of December 9, 1981, he was murdered while making an arrest.
See Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mumia Abu-Jamal
.
The chain of events started with Faulkner stopping a moving vehicle near the southeast corner of the intersection of South 13th Street and Locust Street in downtown Philadelphia. The United States Court of Appeals, in ruling against Abu-Jamal in 2008, described the killing of Officer Faulkner thus:
Abu-Jamal collapsed nearby and was taken into custody by responding police officers. Daniel Faulkner was pronounced dead-on-arrival. Abu-Jamal was charged with murder in the first degree and convicted of that charge in 1982. Abu-Jamal claims that he is innocent of the crime, with his supporters citing perjured testimony (later recanted) and contend that the Philadelphia Police Department knowingly presented false testimony against him.
. In 1994, upon discovering that National Public Radio planned to broadcast a series of commentaries taped by Abu-Jamal from death row
, she began a campaign of her own to counter the "Free Mumia" movement. Since then, she has made numerous public appearances in support of upholding Abu-Jamal's conviction and death sentence. In 1999, she visited The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington during its commencement ceremony to protest the selection of Abu-Jamal as one of five commencement speakers. Since he is a death row inmate and was unable to attend, the graduates listened to a 13 minute audio recording of his address. On December 9, 2001, she returned to Philadelphia to attend a ceremony honoring Daniel Faulkner on the 20th anniversary of his murder. Five years later, on December 8, 2006, she returned there once again, where she made public comments in which she criticized and characterized Abu-Jamal's supporters as ignorant "know-nothings" and praised District Attorney
Lynne M. Abraham
for steadfastly defending against Abu-Jamal's many appeals to have his conviction overturned.
In 2000, ten mile long Roosevelt Boulevard
was designated the Police Officer Daniel Faulkner Memorial Highway pursuant to an act of the state legislature. (The roadway's official name is still Roosevelt Boulevard.) In 2001, a plaque was set in the sidewalk at 1234 Locust Street to mark the spot of his death.
In 2007, Maureen coauthored a book with Philadelphia radio journalist Michael Smerconish
entitled Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Pain, Loss, and Injustice. She describes the work as "the first book to definitively lay out the case against Mumia Abu-Jamal and those who’ve elevated him to the status of political prisoner."
On April 26, 2011, the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, ordered a new sentencing hearing of Abu Jamal, due to wrong instructions to the jury by the trial judge.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
officer in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city of Philadelphia who was shot and killed in the line of duty. Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
was convicted of first-degree murder for the shooting and sentenced to death. Faulkner's murder was the culmination of a traffic stop in downtown Philadelphia, not initially involving Abu-Jamal, which escalated into an exchange of gunfire in which Abu-Jamal was himself shot and wounded by Officer Faulkner. Since 2000, the City of Philadelphia has memorialized Faulkner with a street designation and a commemorative plaque.
Life and career
Faulkner was the youngest of seven children in an IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
family from Southwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line serving as the northern border...
. Faulkner's father, who drove a trolley car, died of a heart attack when Faulker was five. Faulkner's mother went to work and relied on her older children to help raise him. Faulkner dropped out of high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, but earned his diploma and an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
in criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
while serving in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. In 1975, he left the Army, worked briefly as a corrections officer, and then joined the Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. Aspiring to be a city prosecutor, Faulkner enrolled in college to earn his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in criminal justice. He married in 1979. On the evening of December 9, 1981, he was murdered while making an arrest.
Murder
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mumia Abu-Jamal
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mumia Abu-Jamal was a 1982 murder trial in which Mumia Abu-Jamal was tried and convicted for the first-degree murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner....
.
The chain of events started with Faulkner stopping a moving vehicle near the southeast corner of the intersection of South 13th Street and Locust Street in downtown Philadelphia. The United States Court of Appeals, in ruling against Abu-Jamal in 2008, described the killing of Officer Faulkner thus:
- On December 9, 1981, between three thirty and four o'clock in the morning, Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner made a traffic stop of a Volkswagen driven by William Cook, Abu-Jamal's brother, on Locust Street between 12th and 13th Streets, in Philadelphia. Officer Faulkner radioed for backup assistance, and both men exited their vehicles. A struggle ensued, and Officer Faulkner tried to secure Cook's hands behind his back. At that moment, Abu-Jamal, who was in a parking lot on the opposite side of the street, ran toward Officer Faulkner and Cook. As he approached, Abu-Jamal shot Officer Faulkner in the back. As Officer Faulkner fell to the ground, he was able to turn around, reach for his own firearm, and fire at Abu-Jamal, striking him in the chest. Abu-Jamal, now standing over Officer Faulkner, fired four shots at close range. One shot struck Officer Faulkner between the eyes and entered his brain.
Abu-Jamal collapsed nearby and was taken into custody by responding police officers. Daniel Faulkner was pronounced dead-on-arrival. Abu-Jamal was charged with murder in the first degree and convicted of that charge in 1982. Abu-Jamal claims that he is innocent of the crime, with his supporters citing perjured testimony (later recanted) and contend that the Philadelphia Police Department knowingly presented false testimony against him.
Aftermath
Faulkner's widow, Maureen Faulkner, moved to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1994, upon discovering that National Public Radio planned to broadcast a series of commentaries taped by Abu-Jamal from death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, she began a campaign of her own to counter the "Free Mumia" movement. Since then, she has made numerous public appearances in support of upholding Abu-Jamal's conviction and death sentence. In 1999, she visited The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington during its commencement ceremony to protest the selection of Abu-Jamal as one of five commencement speakers. Since he is a death row inmate and was unable to attend, the graduates listened to a 13 minute audio recording of his address. On December 9, 2001, she returned to Philadelphia to attend a ceremony honoring Daniel Faulkner on the 20th anniversary of his murder. Five years later, on December 8, 2006, she returned there once again, where she made public comments in which she criticized and characterized Abu-Jamal's supporters as ignorant "know-nothings" and praised District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Lynne M. Abraham
Lynne Abraham
Lynne Abraham served as the District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia from May 1991 to January 2010. She was the first woman to serve as Philadelphia's District Attorney. Abraham won election to that position four times. As District Attorney, she oversaw the largest district attorney's office...
for steadfastly defending against Abu-Jamal's many appeals to have his conviction overturned.
In 2000, ten mile long Roosevelt Boulevard
Roosevelt Boulevard (Philadelphia)
Roosevelt Boulevard , often referred to simply as "the Boulevard," is a major traffic artery through North and Northeast Philadelphia...
was designated the Police Officer Daniel Faulkner Memorial Highway pursuant to an act of the state legislature. (The roadway's official name is still Roosevelt Boulevard.) In 2001, a plaque was set in the sidewalk at 1234 Locust Street to mark the spot of his death.
In 2007, Maureen coauthored a book with Philadelphia radio journalist Michael Smerconish
Michael Smerconish
Michael A. Smerconish is an American radio and television personality, newspaper columnist, author and MSNBC Political Analyst. His talk radio show is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Big Talker 1210 AM WPHT. He began his full time radio career in 2002...
entitled Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Pain, Loss, and Injustice. She describes the work as "the first book to definitively lay out the case against Mumia Abu-Jamal and those who’ve elevated him to the status of political prisoner."
On April 26, 2011, the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, ordered a new sentencing hearing of Abu Jamal, due to wrong instructions to the jury by the trial judge.
External links
- "Running from the truth", an article by Maureen Faulkner
- Justice for Daniel Faulkner
- Officer Down Memorial Page - Officer Daniel J. Faulkner
- Fraternal Order of Police - The Danny Faulkner Story
- Photos from December 2006 Memorial Ceremony (Flash)
- Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain, and Injustice, by Maureen Faulkner & Michael A. Smerconish, ISBN 1599213761