John Buck
Agency patch
Officer

John Buck

San Jose Police Department — San Jose, CA
Felonious
End of Watch April 5, 1933
Age 27
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Badge 16
The Vigil Panel 66 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer John Buck succumbed to wounds sustained one month earlier when he was shot by a parolee during a traffic stop. Another officer returned fire wounding the shooter. The shooter and the shooter's cousin were both arrested at the scene and charged with murder. The officers stopped the suspects because they had just robbed an ice cream parlor. The gunman was also wanted for burglary and grand theft in Modesto. The 27-year-old gunman was convicted of first degree murder on July 3, 1933, and sentenced to life in Folsom Prison. His accomplice was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to San Quentin Prison. The gunman was paroled on June 1, 1954. Officer Buck had served with the agency for 3 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-0DDAAB9C
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.
Officer Buck gave the San Jose Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Jose community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Buck.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location San Jose, Santa Clara County, CA
Platform Identity sjpd.santaclara.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 5, 1933
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 27
Badge Number 16
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer John Buck 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At San Jose Police Department, 8 of 13 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.5% of this agency's fallen.

San Jose Police Department
8
of 13 officers
61.5% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% 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. John Buck's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Buck Compares

Age at Death
27
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Buck is highlighted in Apr.

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. John Buck was killed by gun.

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