John Henry Daugherty
Agency patch
Night Chief

John Henry Daugherty

Crisfield Police Department — Crisfield, MD
Felonious
End of Watch July 28, 1907
Age 52
The Vigil Panel 21 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Night Chief John Daugherty was shot and killed as he and another officer walked a prisoner to jail.

The two officers had just arrested the man on a warrant for selling whiskey. A friend of the man witnessed the arrest and obtained a .44 caliber revolver. The friend followed the officers and prisoner for about half a block, and shot Night Chief Daugherty in the back of the head without warning, killing him instantly.

The subject fled the scene and attempted to escape into Virginia by taking a sailboat. A posse of citizens caught up to him, returned him to Crisfield, and then beat and lynched him.

Night Chief Daugherty was survived by his wife and five children.

Survivors

Night Chief Daugherty was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MD-0C190E7E
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.
Night Chief Daugherty served with the Crisfield Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Crisfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Night Chief Daugherty.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Crisfield, Somerset County, MD
Platform Identity cpd.somerset.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 28, 1907
Age 52
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .44 caliber

Night Chief John Henry Daugherty 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 MD, 195 of 377 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.7% of this state's fallen. That is 51.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Crisfield Police Department, 3 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Crisfield Police Department
3
of 4 officers
75% Felonious
MD — Statewide
195
of 377 officers
51.7% 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. John Henry Daugherty's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Henry Daugherty Compares

Age at Death
52
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

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

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 Henry Daugherty was killed by handgun; .44 caliber.

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