Eugene Lynch
Agency patch
Constable

Eugene Lynch

Felonious
End of Watch March 7, 1895
Age 36
Tour of Duty 6 yrs 5 mo
The Vigil Panel 13 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable Eugene Lynch succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained one week earlier when he was ambushed by an escaped prisoner.

Constable Lynch had arrested the man and a female acquaintance the previous day on a warrant charging them with assaulting the man's father. Later in the evening, after the arrest, the male subject was able to escape from Constable Lynch's custody.

The following day Constable Lynch was escorting the female prisoner to the local depot. As they crossed a railroad trestle the male subject opened fire from a hiding spot in some nearby bushes, striking Constable Lynch in the abdomen with a shotgun blast.

Constable Lynch's condition deteriorated until he died days later on March 7, 1895. Both suspects were arrested in Georgia the day after Constable Lynch's death and returned to Hamilton County to face charges. The suspect who shot Constable Lynch was sentenced to death but the sentence was later commuted to life in prison,

Constable Lynch was survived by his wife, five children, parents, brother and other family members.

Survivors

The suspect who shot Constable Lynch was sentenced to death but the sentence was later commuted to life in prison,

Constable Lynch was survived by his wife, five children, parents, brother and other family members.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-533F77B4
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

131 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Lynch gave the Hamilton County Constable's Office 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chattanooga community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Chattanooga, TN
Platform Identity hcco.hamilton.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 7, 1895
Tour of Duty 6 yrs 5 mo
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Shotgun

Constable Eugene Lynch 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 TN, 498 of 769 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.8% of this state's fallen. That is 64.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Hamilton County Constable's Office, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Hamilton County Constable's Office
3
of 3 officers
100% Felonious
TN — Statewide
498
of 769 officers
64.8% 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. Eugene Lynch's cause is highlighted.

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

How Eugene Lynch Compares

Age at Death
36
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6.4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Eugene Lynch is highlighted in Mar.

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. Eugene Lynch was killed by shotgun.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Hamilton County Constable's Office are honored on badge.nw.