Jerry Wayne Shelton
Agency patch
Chief of Police

Jerry Wayne Shelton

Cottageville Police Department — Cottageville, SC
Felonious
End of Watch March 25, 1989
Age 28
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
The Vigil Panel 134 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief Jerry Shelton was shot and killed at approximately 1 a.m. by two suspects after arresting them following a traffic stop. The subjects were traveling at 60 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. During the stop, Chief Shelton noticed that there were open alcohol containers and drugs in the vehicle. He transported the male and female suspects to the police station at the Cottageville Town Hall building, where the female produced a handgun and gave it to her boyfriend, the male suspect. The boyfriend then shot Chief Shelton several times. Both suspects were later apprehended two weeks later. The female was acquitted. The male plead guilty and was sentenced to life. He has a parole hearing in August 2023. Chief Shelton served with the Cottageville Police Department as the Chief of Police for over one year.

Survivors

He is survived by his mother and father, three brothers, two sisters, and a fiancee.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-9BEE16A0
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

You barely got started.
Chief of Police Shelton gave the Cottageville Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Cottageville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Shelton.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Cottageville, Colleton County, SC
Platform Identity cpd.colleton.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 25, 1989
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Chief of Police Jerry Wayne Shelton 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%.

Cottageville Police Department
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. Jerry Wayne Shelton's cause is highlighted.

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

How Jerry Wayne Shelton Compares

Age at Death
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1.5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jerry Wayne Shelton 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. Jerry Wayne Shelton was killed by handgun.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Cottageville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.