Johnnie C. Shoates
Agency patch
Lieutenant

Johnnie C. Shoates

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI
Felonious
End of Watch December 7, 1986
Age 36
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant Johnnie Shoates succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained 10 years earlier when he was shot during a robbery. He was off duty, waiting in line at a fast food restaurant, when a man entered the Church's Chicken at 12701 Joy Road around 12:50 a.m. and announced a robbery. Lieutenant Shoates identified himself and ordered the man to drop his gun. The man turned and opened fire, striking Lieutenant Shoates in the head. Lieutenant Shoates remained in a coma from the time of the shooting until his death 10 years later. The subject was arrested and charged with assault with the intent to commit murder. He was sentenced to 20-30 years and paroled in 1985. Lieutenant Shoates had been injured in 1974 during a narcotics raid. Lieutenant Shoates had served with the Detroit Police Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife and three children. (His wife gave birth to a daughter 11 days after he was shot).

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Lieutenant Shoates gave the Detroit Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Shoates.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Detroit, Wayne County, MI
Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 7, 1986
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Johnnie is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1986, 98 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 54th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Johnnie was 36. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Johnnie had served 8 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

December holds 9.4% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Detroit Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Johnnie among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Lieutenant Johnnie C. Shoates

Detroit Police Department · End of Watch December 7, 1986

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 1-E

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