06/12/2026
Let us pause to remember our Fallen Hero, Police Officer First Class Carlton X. Fletcher, lost this day in 1983.
POFC. Fletcher was born on April 11, 1951, in Prince George's County. He served with honor and distinction in the United States Air National Guard, reaching the rank of staff sergeant before being honorably discharged in 1975. POFC. Fletcher joined the Prince George's County Police Department on July 18, 1976. Upon graduation from the academy, he was assigned to the Hyattsville district station. Four years later, he was transferred to the new Beltsville district station.
On the evening of June 11, 1983, POFC. Fletcher was sitting in his marked police cruiser in the parking lot of a convenience store on Greenbelt Road in Lanham waiting to es**rt the store's manager on a night deposit as part of a secondary employment assignment. Without warning, two suspects approached and shot into his cruiser. POFC. Fletcher was seriously wounded. Sadly, he died of his injuries the morning of June 12, 1983. After shooting our officer, the suspects also fatally shot the store’s manager. The two suspects were arrested and charged with both murders.
POFC. Fletcher served the Prince George's County Police Department for seven years. POFC. Fletcher was posthumously promoted to the rank of Police Officer First Class in May of 2026. He was the 14th member of this agency to make the ultimate sacrifice and was the 23rd law enforcement officer to give his life in service to this profession within Prince George's County.
At the time of his death, Police Officer First Class Carlton X. Fletcher was 32 years old and survived by his expectant wife and young daughter.
