John Wesley Dier
Agency patch
Private

John Wesley Dier

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch November 12, 1848
Age 18
Tour of Duty 5 mo
The Vigil Panel 1 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Private John Dier was shot and killed when his Texas Ranger company was ambushed by Indians in Sabinal Canyon near present-day Utopia, Texas.

He was standing guard at the camp when he was shot in the chest and killed as Indians ambushed the company.

Private Dier had served with the Texas Rangers for only five months.

Pvt. Dier, On today, the 175th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of the state of Texas.

R.I.P. USBP

Anonymous United States Border Patrol November 12th, 2023

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-E2977069
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute - 1 candle.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew John. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

178 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Dier served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Texas Rangers
Type Other
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 12, 1848
Tour of Duty 5 mo
Age 18
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle

Private John Wesley Dier 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Texas Rangers, 104 of 122 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.2% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Rangers
104
of 122 officers
85.2% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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 Wesley Dier's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Wesley Dier Compares

Age at Death
18
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Wesley Dier is highlighted in Nov.

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 Wesley Dier was killed by rifle.

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

Incident Location