Henry Buford Graves
Agency patch
Rural Police Officer

Henry Buford Graves

Felonious
End of Watch July 14, 1924
Age 46
The Vigil Panel 47 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Graves was killed when he fell from a vehicle that had sped away from a checkpoint near the center of Pageland.

Officer Graves was assisting two Pageland officers at the checkpoint, which had been setup as a result of an earlier incident where a vehicle drove through town and the occupants were discharging a firearm.

A vehicle that had already gone through the checkpoint drove through again and stopped for a brief moment. The Pageland police chief and Officer Graves stepped on the running board but stepped back off once they recognized the occupants. As Officer Graves then stepped back onto the running board the driver of the vehicle sped away with his lights off at a high rate of speed. Officer Graves was able to hold on for about three blocks before he was either assaulted and pushed or fell from the vehicle.

The three occupants of the vehicle were arrested and charged with murder but were found not guilty at trial.

Officer Graves was survived by his wife and eight children.

Survivors

Officer Graves was survived by his wife and eight children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-6262B07F
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Rural Police Officer Graves served with the Chesterfield County Rural Police Commission.
Thank you for your service to the Chesterfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Rural Police Officer Graves.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Chesterfield, SC
Platform Identity ccrpcpd.chesterfield.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 14, 1924
Age 46
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Vehicular assault
Weapon Automobile

Rural Police Officer Henry Buford Graves 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 SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Chesterfield County Rural Police Commission
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
SC — Statewide
272
of 441 officers
61.7% 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. Henry Buford Graves's cause is highlighted.

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

How Henry Buford Graves Compares

Age at Death
46
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry Buford Graves is highlighted in Jul.

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. Henry Buford Graves was killed by automobile.

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

0 officers from Chesterfield County Rural Police Commission are honored on badge.nw.