Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Shepela succumbed an accidental gunshot wound sustained three weeks earlier as he attempted to shoot a dog that was attacking him in Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania.
He was attempting to remove his revolver from its holster when the weapon discharged. He was taken to Nanticoke State Hospital where he remained until succumbing to complications from the original wound.
Patrolman Shepela was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Newport Township Police Department for 11-1/2 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-E952008B- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Shepela gave the Newport Township Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Nanticoke community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John Shepela served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman John Shepela is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Newport Township Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Shepela's cause is highlighted.
How John Shepela Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Shepela is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Newport Township Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
