Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman James Stevens was accidentally shot and killed while removing a shotgun from the backseat of his vehicle on Main Street in Earlington.
He and several other officers were en route to the county courthouse to testify in a trial when they stopped to purchase additional shotgun shells. Patrolman Stevens was removing the shotgun from his vehicle when it accidentally discharged and struck him in the chest.
Patrolman Stevens was a widower.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-606FBF7E- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Stevens gave the Kentucky Highway Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Kentucky. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Stevens.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman James Duncan Stevens is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 14.6 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Kentucky Highway Patrol, 3 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Duncan Stevens's cause is highlighted.
How James Duncan Stevens Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Duncan Stevens is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Kentucky Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw.
