John Sumter Horton
Agency patch
Trooper

John Sumter Horton

Accident
End of Watch January 3, 2022
Age 42
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
The Vigil Panel 394 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper John Horton was struck and killed by a patrol car while conducting a traffic stop near the intersection of High Shoals Church Road and Goodes Grove Church Road in Mooresboro at about 9:00 pm.

Trooper Horton had detained the driver of the vehicle and was standing on the shoulder of the roadway with the subject. Another trooper arriving on the scene to back him up lost control of his patrol car and collided with Trooper Horton's patrol car, which was then pushed into Trooper Horton and the detained subject. The detained subject died at the scene, and Trooper Horton died after being transported to a hospital in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The area the crash occurred in had experienced snow and sleet throughout the day.

Trooper Horton had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 15 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, six children, parents, sister, and two brothers.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
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.
Trooper Horton gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Horton.

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

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Raleigh, NC
Platform Identity nchp.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 3, 2022
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Age 42
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

John is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% 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
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Compare against
I

Time

In 2022, 60 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 73rd heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

John was 42. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. John had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

January holds 7.7% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Mondays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

North Carolina Highway Patrol has 69 officers remembered here, John among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Trooper John Sumter Horton

North Carolina Highway Patrol · End of Watch January 3, 2022

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 54-W

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