Roll of Honor
John W. "Johnie" Martin
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Johnie Martin was shot and killed after he and the Sheriff stopped a vehicle they suspected of transporting whiskey at 9 p.m. about nine miles west of Nacogdoches at Little Loco bridge.
The Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office received a tip that a vehicle would be traveling through the area containing illegal liquor. The officers waited on a bridge for the suspected car to drive by and stopped it when it attempted to cross the bridge. The sheriff approached with a pistol in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Deputy Martin started to open a curtain to see if there was whiskey in the car when three shots were fired. Deputy Martin returned fire, killing one bootlegger and injuring another.
The sheriff was wounded in both legs and struck the third bootlegger in the head as he tried to escape. The sheriff called for Deputy Martin to stop the injured subject from escaping, but Martin said, "I am shot through and through; I am killed." The third bootlegger
The second bootlegger, who was captured and claimed he shot at the officers in self-defense, was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison, but the case was reversed on appeal. On July 25, 1925, he was sentenced to 10 years and paroled on January 20, 1927.
Deputy Martin was survived by his wife and three children.
He was buried in the Blackjack Cemetery in Nacogdoches County.
Survivors
Deputy Martin was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-1949121B- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Martin served with the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Nacogdoches community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Martin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John W. "Johnie" Martin 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Dept, 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.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John W. "Johnie" Martin's cause is highlighted.
How John W. "Johnie" Martin Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 10 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John W. "Johnie" Martin is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John W. "Johnie" Martin was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Dept are honored on badge.nw.
