Asa Edwin Thornton
Agency patch
Ranger

Asa Edwin Thornton

Felonious
End of Watch May 19, 1962
Age 68
Tour of Duty 28 yrs
The Vigil Panel 97 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Ranger Asa Thornton succumbed to injuries sustained three weeks earlier when his department vehicle was struck by a drunk driver at the intersection of Lamar Mounds Road and Highway 129 in Bibb County.

Ranger Thornton had served with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for 28 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and one child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-8AD73CA2
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

28 years. You could have gone home.
Ranger Thornton gave the Georgia Department of Natural Resources 28 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Social Circle community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Ranger Thornton.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Social Circle, GA
Platform Identity gdnrcons.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 19, 1962
Tour of Duty 28 yrs
Age 68
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Vehicular assault
Weapon Automobile; Alcohol involved

Ranger Asa Edwin Thornton is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In GA, 549 of 905 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 60.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 7 of 10 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70% of this agency's fallen.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
7
of 10 officers
70% Felonious
GA — Statewide
549
of 905 officers
60.7% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Asa Edwin Thornton's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Asa Edwin Thornton Compares

Age at Death
68
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Asa Edwin Thornton is highlighted in May.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Asa Edwin Thornton was killed by automobile; alcohol involved.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location