Daniel Clayton Adkinson
Agency patch
Sheriff

Daniel Clayton Adkinson

Walton County Sheriff's Office — DeFuniak Springs, FL
Felonious
End of Watch April 7, 1938
Age 40
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 74 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff Adkinson was shot and killed as he was talking to a prison guard while standing in front of the guard's home. A county constable shot and killed both men because he believed they were plotting to have him fired. The constable had previously been arrested for operating an illegal still and Sheriff Adkinson and the guard were scheduled to testify at his upcoming trial.

No one saw the murders. The constable said they attacked him and he shot them in self defense. Sheriff Adkinson was found with his gun in the holster. The guard was found dead behind the steering wheel in his car. The coroner said it looked like he was trying to get away. The grand jury refused to indict the constable.

Sheriff Adkinson had served with the agency for 1 year.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-2ABF7D45
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

You barely got started.
Sheriff Adkinson gave the Walton County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the DeFuniak Springs community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Adkinson.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location DeFuniak Springs, Walton County, FL
Platform Identity wcso.walton.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 7, 1938
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 40
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Sheriff Daniel Clayton Adkinson 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Walton County Sheriff's Office, 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Walton County Sheriff's Office
4
of 4 officers
100% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% 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. Daniel Clayton Adkinson's cause is highlighted.

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

How Daniel Clayton Adkinson Compares

Age at Death
40
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Daniel Clayton Adkinson is highlighted in Apr.

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.

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