John Allen
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

John Allen

Pike County Sheriff's Office — Pikeville, KY
Felonious
End of Watch July 20, 1930
Age 24
The Vigil Panel 60 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff John Allen was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance in Pinsonfork, Kentucky.

As he arrived at the location he encountered two men in an automobile. As he stepped onto the vehicle's runningboard the occupants opened fire, fatally wounding him. Both men were arrested after the shooting.

He was transported to Memorial Hospital in Mingo County, West Virginia, where he died the following day.

Deputy Allen was survived by his wife.

Survivors

Deputy Allen was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-0B76EE12
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.
Deputy Sheriff Allen served with the Pike County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Pikeville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Allen.

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

Agency

Location Pikeville, KY
Platform Identity pcso.pike.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 20, 1930
Age 24
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender Arrested

Deputy Sheriff John Allen is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 22.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Pike County Sheriff's Office, 13 of 16 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 81.3% of this agency's fallen.

Pike County Sheriff's Office
13
of 16 officers
81.3% Felonious
KY — Statewide
755
of 983 officers
76.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Allen's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How John Allen Compares

Age at End of Watch
24
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Arrested

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Allen is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Allen was killed by handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location