Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police J.B. Hamby was shot and killed after responding to a robbery in progress at a local driver's licensing station. Upon arriving, he engaged two suspects in gunfire, fatally wounding one of them, and was wounded himself. Chief Hamby went outside to reload his revolver, giving the second suspect an opportunity to escape. Chief Hamby stumbled to a nearby laundromat for assistance and succumbed to his wounds on the floor. The second suspect was eventually apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison. A ballistics test of the gun he used determined that he shot Chief Hamby. On October 28th, 1985, he escaped from prison. His case aired on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries on October 7th, 1992, and an anonymous tip led to his arrest in Spearfish, South Dakota. He was returned to prison and received additional time for escape. He was denied parole in 2008. Chief Hamby was the only officer on the Catoosa Police Department and had served in law enforcement for 20 years. He was survived by his two sons. He is buried in Hamby Cemetery, Jay, Delaware County, Oklahoma.
Survivors
He was survived by his two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-76A82691- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Chief of Police Hamby gave the Catoosa Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Catoosa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Hamby.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police J. B. Hamby 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 OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 69.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Catoosa Police Department, 2 of 2 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. J. B. Hamby's cause is highlighted.
How J. B. Hamby Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. J. B. Hamby is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. J. B. Hamby was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Catoosa Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
