Incident
Officer Johnny Sides succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained on January 22nd, 1951, when he was shot after he and his partner stopped a vehicle for running a red light near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourth Avenue. As they approached the vehicle the four men opened fire on them, striking Officer Sides in his abdomen and wounding his partner. The suspects were arrested two days later in Arkansas after a county sheriff used a rock to subdue them. The men were suspects for the December 1950 wounding of a Mississippi Department of Public Safety trooper. All four men were convicted of murdering Officer Sides. One, 21, and his 32-year-old uncle were executed; one on March 12, 1952, and the other on April 9, 1952. On June 27, 1951, the other two men, 19 and 23, were sentenced 99 years each. Officer Sides had served with the Dallas Police Department for three months.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents, brother, and two sisters.
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.
Officer Sides served with the Dallas Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Sides.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Felonious
Dallas Police Department has lost 95 officers; 55 of them killed feloniously.
Willis is one of 1,462 officers killed feloniously in TX, 60.3% of the 2,423 remembered there.
Willis is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Willis is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously worldwide, 51.7% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 1951, 1 officer at Dallas Police Department was killed feloniously, the 10th heaviest of 40 years on record. The heaviest was 1988, with 5.
In 1951, 4 officers in TX were killed feloniously, the 144th heaviest of 180 years on record. The heaviest was 1928, with 19.
In 1951, 65 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 113th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.
In 1951, 69 officers worldwide were killed feloniously, the 109th heaviest of 265 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 516.
Who
Willis was 22. Of the 55 killed feloniously at Dallas Police Department whose age is recorded, half were between 26.5 and 42.5; the middle age was 32. Willis had served 0.2 years; the middle length of service was 3 years.
Willis was 22. Of the 1,330 killed feloniously in TX whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 46; the middle age was 37. Willis had served 0.2 years; the middle length of service was 4 years.
Willis was 22. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Willis had served 0.2 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Willis was 22. Of the 15,853 killed feloniously worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 46; the middle age was 38. Willis had served 0.2 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
February holds 10.9% of these deaths at Dallas Police Department; November holds the most, 14.5%. Wednesdays: 12.7%.
February holds 7.6% of these deaths in TX; December holds the most, 10.4%. Wednesdays: 13.1%.
February holds 7.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Wednesdays: 12.9%.
February holds 7.4% of these deaths worldwide; December holds the most, 9.2%. Wednesdays: 13.2%.
How
Felonious deaths account for 57.9% of all 95 deaths at Dallas Police Department, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 23.6% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 60.3% of all 2,423 deaths in TX, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 14.2% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 51.7% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 20.4% of these deaths.
His people
Dallas Police Department has 95 officers remembered here, Willis among them.
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Cassee Odorous Brewer
May 24, 1892
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William H. Riddell
Jun 17, 1892
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William McDuff Dec 25, 1896
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Leslie N. Patrick
Jun 13, 1901
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Theodore Alonzo Tedford
Jul 28, 1912
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W. Roy Thornton
Jan 12, 1916
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Leroy Wood
Feb 7, 1922
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Johnnie C. Gibson
Apr 19, 1923
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John Richard Crain
May 24, 1923
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Dexter Clayton Phillips
Aug 11, 1923
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Charles S. Swinney
Jun 21, 1925
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Clarence Marshall Isbell
Feb 4, 1926
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John English York
Jul 15, 1926
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Alexander W. Tedford
Dec 26, 1927
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Sam Griffin Lanford
Jun 29, 1933
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Jesse Emmett Griffin
Dec 28, 1933
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Luke J. Bell
May 18, 1934
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Ernest Edmund Leonard, Jr.
May 28, 1935
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John William Dieken
Aug 10, 1935
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Ralph Wendell Hoyt
Feb 20, 1937
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Victor Leon Morris
Sep 15, 1941
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Ernest Elmer Bates
Dec 5, 1942
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Preston Daniel Hale
Feb 12, 1947
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William Edward Stafford
Sep 5, 1948
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Willis Wood Sides
Feb 7, 1951
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Leonard Clint Mullenax
Feb 10, 1962
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Ray Allan Underwood
Aug 27, 1963
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J. D. Tippit
Nov 22, 1963
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Francis Weldon Bennett
Sep 5, 1964
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James Douglas Stewart
Nov 12, 1967
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Floyd Alexander Knight
Dec 8, 1968
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Robert Henderson Shipp
Jan 13, 1970
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Johnnie Tillman Hartwell
Nov 10, 1971
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Allen Perry Camp
Mar 25, 1972
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Carl Jackson Cooke, III
May 2, 1972
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Howard Kenton Hicks
Jun 23, 1972
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Joe Cobb Jones
Jul 29, 1972
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Levy McQuietor, Jr.
Aug 17, 1972
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Milton Earl Whatley
Oct 7, 1973
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Donald Paul Tucker, Sr.
Dec 13, 1973
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Leslie G. Lane, Jr.
Mar 2, 1974
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Alvin Duane Hallum
Aug 21, 1975
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Alvin E. Moore
Nov 13, 1976
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Robert William Wood
Nov 28, 1976
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John Thomas McCarthy
Feb 25, 1981
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Charles Joseph Maltese, Jr.
Jul 31, 1981
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John Ralph Pasco
Jan 16, 1983
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Carl Joel Norris
Mar 2, 1983
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Ronald Dale Baker
May 2, 1983
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Robert Lawrence Cormier
Jul 24, 1984
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James Charles Taylor
Jul 24, 1984
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Thomas Lee Harris
Jul 20, 1985
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Gary Reeves Blair
Mar 20, 1986
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James Allen Joe
Jan 14, 1988
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John Glenn Chase
Jan 23, 1988
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Gary Don McCarthy
Feb 26, 1988
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Walter Leon Williams
Aug 2, 1988
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Lawrence Rudy Cadena, Sr.
Dec 13, 1988
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Lisa Louise Sandel
Jan 13, 1989
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Mark Lewis Fleming
Jan 14, 1989
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Thomas Grady Burchfield
May 6, 1990
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Michael Ross Okelberry
May 6, 1990
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Sunny Ma Lov
Nov 4, 1990
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Lawrence David Bromley
Dec 11, 1991
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Harold Lee Hammons
Jan 22, 1992
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Billy Walter Daugherty
Aug 14, 1992
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John Paul Jones
Sep 3, 1992
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Richard A. Lawrence
Nov 9, 1993
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David R. Galvan
Dec 14, 1993
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Thomas Dale Bond
Dec 13, 1994
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Henry Allen Brown
Apr 25, 1997
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Claude Wayne Standridge
Mar 4, 1998
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Harold Franklin Baird, Jr.
Aug 19, 2000
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Donald Frederick Flusche, Jr.
Mar 17, 2001
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Christopher Kevin James
Nov 25, 2001
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Patrick Lee Metzler
Oct 23, 2002
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Brian Howard Jackson
Nov 13, 2005
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Mark Timothy Nix
Mar 23, 2007
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Victor Antonio Lozada, Sr.
Feb 22, 2008
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Norman Stephen Allen Smith
Jan 6, 2009
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Kevin Paul Marceau
Jan 14, 2011
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Michael Leslie Krol
Jul 7, 2016
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Michael Joseph Smith
Jul 7, 2016
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Patricio Enrique Zamarripa
Jul 7, 2016
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Lorne Bradley Ahrens
Jul 8, 2016
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Rogelio Santander, Jr.
Apr 25, 2018
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Kevin Christopher Young May 4, 2018
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Earl James Givens, III
Jul 21, 2018
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Bronc Justin McCoy
Nov 16, 2020
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Mitchell Aaron Penton
Feb 13, 2021
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David Edward Ruiz
Aug 22, 2021
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Arnulfo Pargas
Sep 23, 2021
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Scott Paul Harn
Nov 2, 2021
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Christopher Gibson
Jan 2, 2022
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Darron Lee Burks
Aug 29, 2024
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
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