Incident
Deputy John Phillips was shot and killed as he and a posse attempted to arrest a man wanted for several arsons committed in the county. The posse captured and hanged the suspect.
Deputy Phillips was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Deputy Phillips was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NE-E093B01B- 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
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Deputy Sheriff Phillips served with the Cedar County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Hartington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John W. Phillips 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 NE, 97 of 151 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.2% of this state's fallen. That is 64.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John W. Phillips's cause is highlighted.
How John W. Phillips Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John W. Phillips is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Cedar County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.