Roll of Honor
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
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Daniel Clayton Adkinson is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
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.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Daniel Clayton Adkinson's cause is highlighted.
How Daniel Clayton Adkinson Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Daniel Clayton Adkinson is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Walton County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
