Edward Porter Jr.

Marion County Sheriff's Office — Ocala, FL

Felonious

End of Watch April 13, 1951

The Vigil Panel 87 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 7

Incident

Sheriff Porter was stabbed and shot to death while investigating the theft of a coat from a men's store. He had taken the suspect out of school to question him. The boy admitted to taking the coat after giving the store a bad check and agreed to take the sheriff to his home on Shady Road to get the coat. As the two left the house the boy was able to conceal an ice pick under his arm. When they got into the car the sheriff saw the ice pick and, as he reached for his pistol, the suspect began to stab him. The gun was knocked onto the seat and the sheriff fell out of the car. The suspect picked up the gun and shot the sheriff several times. Thinking the sheriff was dead, he put him into the passenger seat and began to drive away. The sheriff, who was barely alive, tried to grab his gun back but the suspect shot him in the throat, killing him. The suspect purposely crashed the patrol car into a tree and then returned home where he changed. He was arrested a short time later and confessed to the murder. The 16-year-old boy was convicted of first degree murder and executed in the electric chair September 28th, 1954.

Survivors

Sheriff Porter was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

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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.
Sheriff Porter served with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Ocala community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Porter.

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

Agency

Department Marion County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Ocala, Marion County, FL

Platform Identity mcso.marion.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 13, 1951

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Sheriff Edward Porter Jr. 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 Marion County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Marion County Sheriff's Office

of 8 officers

100% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious