John W. Love
Agency patch
Sheriff

John W. Love

Felonious
End of Watch April 18, 1877
Age 35
The Vigil Panel 5 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Location: Louisiana Weapon: Officer's handgun Offender: Shot and killed

Sheriff John Love was shot and killed near Greenwood, Louisiana while extraditing several prisoners from Shreveport, Louisiana.

He and a Shreveport detective were riding in the front of a wagon when one of the men grabbed Sheriff Love's pistol and shot him approximately one-quarter mile from Greenwood. The suspects were then chased into a swamp by a posse and shot and killed.

Sheriff Love's body was returned to Groesbeck and he was buried in Tehuacana.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-8509D031
Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

149 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Love served with the Limestone County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Groesbeck community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Groesbeck, Limestone County, TX
Platform Identity lcso.limestone.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 18, 1877
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Officer's handgun

Sheriff John W. Love 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 Limestone County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 83.3% of this agency's fallen.

Limestone County Sheriff's Office
5
of 6 officers
83.3% 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 W. Love's cause is highlighted.

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

How John W. Love 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 W. Love is highlighted in Apr.

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 W. Love was killed by officer's handgun.

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

Incident Location