John W. Craig
Agency patch
Night Watchman

John W. Craig

Sturgis Police Department — Sturgis, MI
Felonious
End of Watch September 26, 1899
Age 55
The Vigil Panel 15 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Night Watchman John Craig was shot and killed while arresting two robbery suspects near Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad station in Sturgis.

The suspects were in a boxcar on a siding and opened fire on him, shooting him before he could return fire. He died almost instantly. Despite posses being formed, the suspects were never caught.

Night Watchman Craig was survived by his wife and child.

Survivors

Night Watchman Craig was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-3C09F554
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

127 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Night Watchman Craig served with the Sturgis Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Sturgis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Sturgis, MI
Platform Identity spd.stjoseph.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 26, 1899
Age 55
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Night Watchman John W. Craig 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 MI, 426 of 719 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.2% of this state's fallen. That is 59.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Sturgis Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
MI — Statewide
426
of 719 officers
59.2% 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 W. Craig's cause is highlighted.

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

How John W. Craig Compares

Age at Death
55
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John W. Craig is highlighted in Sep.

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 W. Craig was killed by gun; unknown type.

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 Sturgis Police Department are honored on badge.nw.