Roll of Honor
Incident
Constable Leary and Policeman Joel McDonald were shot and killed during an operation to arrest three professional thieves. The officers had noticed the three suspicious men loitering around the town and came up with a plan to determine their motives. Policeman McDonald approached the men out of uniform and began talking with them. After he earned the men's trust, it was suggested that Policeman McDonald and the three thieves would rob a house together and then go back to Policeman McDonald's saloon to divide the loot. McDonald informed Constable Leary of the plan, and the two agreed that Leary would hide at the saloon during the robbery so that the suspects could be taken by surprise. The robbery went as planned, but the robbers grew suspicious as they approached the saloon because they noticed a light was on. They asked Policeman McDonald what the light meant. Because they were unsatisfied with his answer, they drew a gun and shot him in the head, killing him instantly. They then fled the scene. Three days later, Constable Leary located the suspects and was attempting to arrest one of them when the suspect pulled out a gun and fatally shot him. Two of suspects were captured within days of the incident and lynched by angry citizens. The third suspect was shot and killed during an arrest attempt. Constable Leary had served as city marshal for 7 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-22E0A7BB- 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
168 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Leary gave the Columbia Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable John Leary 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Columbia Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Leary's cause is highlighted.
How John Leary Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Leary is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Leary was killed by gun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Columbia Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
