Jacob Chestnut

Jacob J. Chestnut
Officer Jacob Chestnut, USCP
United States Capitol Police
April 28, 1940(1940-04-28) – July 24, 1998(1998-07-24) (aged 58)
Place of death	Washington, D.C.
Service branch	United States
Years of service	18
Rank	Sworn in as a Police Officer - 1980
Awards	Police Purple Heart

Jacob Joseph Chestnut (April 28, 1940 – July 24, 1998), one of the two United States Capitol Police officers killed in the line of duty on July 24, 1998, was the first African American to lie in honor in the United States Capitol. Chestnut is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His funeral included a speech by President Bill Clinton and a fly-over by military jets in a missing man formation.

Commemorative plaque in the United States Capitol

Officer Jacob Chestnut was on guard at the Document Door entrance to the U.S. Capitol when gunman Russell Eugene Weston Jr. entered. Chestnut, manning a metal detector, was caught unaware by Weston, who shot Chestnut through the back of the head at point-blank range, killing him instantly.

Officer Chestnut and fellow police officer Detective John Gibson were the only two people killed in the attack. A female tourist suffered minor injuries after bullets grazed her shoulder and face.

In 1998, the House of Representatives passed a motion to designate a post office at 11550 Livingston Road in Fort Washington, Maryland as the "Jacob Joseph Chestnut Post Office Building".

In 2000, the building housing the United States Air Force's 20th Security Forces Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina was dedicated to Chestnut, a former member of the Air Force Security Forces.

See also

• United States Capitol shooting incident (1998)
• John Gibson
• Lying in repose
• State funeral

References

Honorary titles
Preceded by Claude Pepper	Persons who have lain in state or honor in the United States Capitol rotunda (with John Gibson) July 28, 1998	Succeeded by Ronald Reagan