Roll of Honor
Incident
Special Officer John MacLeod and Sheriff Robert Gilmore, of the Big Horn County Sheriff's Department, were shot and killed when they went to arrest a transient. The man was the suspect in several burglaries in the county and wanted for disturbing the peace on the reservation. The officers told him the charges would be dropped if he left town. The officers went to his shack to arrest him after he failed to leave town. They were confronted by the man with a .22 caliber rifle and the man opened fire, fatally wounding Sheriff Gilmore in the neck. The suspect then wounded the Undersheriff before barricading himself in his shack. As Officer MacLeod attempted to kick in the back door he was shot in the groin. The round struck an artery and Officer MacLeod bled to death. Deputies from Yellowstone County responded to the scene and set the house on fire. As the man fled he was shot and killed by the crowd.
Survivors
Officer MacLeod had been with the agency for two years and was survived by his wife, Lillie, a son John, and daughter, Jessie.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CRO-TR-8CEE8E40- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Officer MacLeod gave the Crow Nation Tribal Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Crow Agency community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Officer MacLeod.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Officer John MacLeod is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MT, 93 of 142 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.5% of this state's fallen. That is 11.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John MacLeod's cause is highlighted.
How John MacLeod Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John MacLeod is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John MacLeod was killed by rifle; .22 caliber.