John Harlow
Policeman

John Harlow

Charleston Police Department — Charleston, SC
Felonious
End of Watch December 22, 1878
Age 32
The Vigil Panel 6 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Policeman John Harlow was shot and killed while attempting to break up a disturbance the intersection of King Street and Calhoun Street at 3:00 am. While on the scene he was attacked by a crowd, struck in the head with a bottle, and shot in the stomach.

Survivors

Policeman Harlow was survived by his mother and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-CB345E1B
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

148 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Policeman Harlow served with the Charleston Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Charleston, SC
Platform Identity cpd.charleston.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 22, 1878
Age 32
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Policeman John Harlow 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 SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Charleston Police Department, 12 of 24 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Charleston Police Department
12
of 24 officers
50% Felonious
SC — Statewide
272
of 441 officers
61.7% 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 Harlow's cause is highlighted.

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

How John Harlow Compares

Age at Death
32
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Harlow is highlighted in Dec.

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 Harlow was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location