Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief John Taylor was shot and killed by the town doctor the day after the doctor's barn burned down. The doctor had an ongoing dispute with Chief Taylor and believed that the chief was responsible for the fire. The doctor located the chief in front of the NorthState building on Salem Street and shot him twice with a shotgun. The suspect then followed Chief Taylor into the store and shot him four more times with a handgun. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison and was confined at the department for the criminally insane at the state prison in Raleigh. He escaped on August 29th, 1922. In 1924 the suspect was located and arrested in California. Because of a legal technicality, the state of California refused to honor an extradition request from North Carolina and instead ordered him to be set free. In 1928 he died as the result of a mining accident in Winthrop, California. Chief Taylor had served with the Thomasville Police Department for one year and had previously served with Winston-Salem Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his expectant wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-4D7DEDF1- 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
You barely got started.
Chief Taylor gave the Thomasville Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Thomasville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Taylor.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief John Edgar Taylor 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 58 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Thomasville Police Department, 5 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Edgar Taylor's cause is highlighted.
How John Edgar Taylor Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Edgar Taylor is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Edgar Taylor was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Thomasville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
