John Henry Hill
Agency patch
Police Officer

John Henry Hill

Altus Police Department — Altus, OK
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch September 7, 1934
Age 35
The Vigil Panel 68 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer John Hill was shot and killed by two white suspects who were upset that Officer Hill, who was black, had ordered them to leave an area of town earlier in the evening. After the original incident, the two men went to a store, and each bought a .38 caliber pistol. They returned to the area and located Officer Hill. As Officer Hill attempted to disarm one of the men the other suspect shot him in the back four times. Although wounded, Officer Hill was able to return fire and killed one of the suspects. The other man was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years. Officer Hill was a United States Army WWI veteran.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-5D2CB102
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Hill served with the Altus Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Altus community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Altus, Jackson County, OK
Platform Identity apd.jackson.ok.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 7, 1934
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Military Service

John Henry Hill served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer John Henry Hill 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 69.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Altus Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
OK — Statewide
403
of 582 officers
69.2% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Henry Hill'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 Hill Compares

Age at Death
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Henry Hill 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 Henry Hill was killed by handgun.

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

Military Service

John Henry Hill served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit John Henry Hill’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Altus Police Department are honored on badge.nw.