Charles Patman

Denison Police Department — Denison, TX

Felonious

End of Watch May 2, 1875

Age 36

The Vigil Panel 5 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Police Officer Charles Patman was shot and killed while he and his partner searched a man suspected of having a concealed weapon. During the search a second man approached them and fatally shot Officer Patman in the face and wounded his partner.

Both suspects fled the scene but were later apprehended. The man who shot the officers had recently been acquitted of murdering to men in Hearn, Texas, and was a notorious outlaw. He was charged with murder and attempted murder but the charges were dismissed in 1879 when the key witness in the case disappeared.

Officer Patman was survived by his wife and three children.

Survivors

Officer Patman was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-9A1A09E7
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

151 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Patman served with the Denison Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Denison community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Denison Police Department

Type Other

Location Denison, Grayson County, TX

Platform Identity dpd.grayson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 2, 1875

Age 36

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Police Officer Charles Patman 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Denison Police Department, 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Denison Police Department

of 5 officers

100% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,461

of 2,422 officers

60.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious