Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Jailer Elisha Hoskins was shot and killed while attempting to arrest two women for being drunk in public on Main Street in Harlan.
The husband of one of the women interfered with the arrest and assaulted Deputy Hoskins after claiming that he was not legally allowed to make an arrest. The man then fled up into an alley and then shot Deputy Hoskins as he pursued him.
The man was convicted of murdering Deputy Hoskins and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and ruled that Deputy Jailer Hoskins was considered a peace officer and permitted to make arrests.
Deputy Jailer Hoskins was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-A80915F8- 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
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Jailer Hoskins served with the Harlan County Detention Center.
Thank you for your service to the Evarts community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Elisha Hoskins served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Jailer Elisha Hoskins 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 22.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Elisha Hoskins's cause is highlighted.
How Elisha Hoskins Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 12 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Elisha Hoskins is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Elisha Hoskins was killed by handgun.