Carl Oscar Johnson
Agency patch
Special Deputy

Carl Oscar Johnson

Felonious
End of Watch September 30, 1951
Age 53
Tour of Duty 4 mo
The Vigil Panel 87 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Deputy Johnson succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two months earlier while attempting to arrest a man who had stolen a car. The suspect shot Special Deputy Johnson in the shoulder with a .22 caliber rifle. The suspect was shot and wounded by a citizen and taken into custody.

Special Deputy Johnson was initially taken to Porterville Hospital, but was later transferred to a San Francisco hospital for treatment to an injured nerve as a result of the gunshot wound. He underwent surgery to remove the bullet and to try to repair his arm, but died the day following the surgery.

Special Deputy Johnson had only been sworn in as a deputy two months prior to the shooting.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two step sons, a brother, and a sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-9BF53D3A
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Deputy Johnson served with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Visalia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Deputy Johnson.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Visalia, Tulare County, CA
Platform Identity tcso.tulare.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 30, 1951
Tour of Duty 4 mo
Age 53
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle; .22 caliber

Special Deputy Carl Oscar Johnson 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Tulare County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 16 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 31.3% of this agency's fallen.

Tulare County Sheriff's Office
5
of 16 officers
31.3% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% 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. Carl Oscar Johnson's cause is highlighted.

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

How Carl Oscar Johnson Compares

Age at Death
53
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Carl Oscar Johnson is highlighted in Sep.

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. Carl Oscar Johnson was killed by rifle; .22 caliber.

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