Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer John Watson was shot and killed after locating a vehicle wanted by the Alaska State Troopers.
At 7:41 pm, the troopers had asked for assistance in locating a newer silver Ford Excursion. A citizen had reported to the troopers that the suspect and a 21-year-old female had left her residence in a Ford Excursion and that the subject appeared intoxicated and agitated. The troopers were attempting to locate the vehicle in order to conduct a welfare check.
Officer Watson went to the home of the subject but was unable to locate the truck. At 8:16 pm, Officer Watson reported that he had just seen a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle driving past him. He turned around and stopped the vehicle in the driveway at a residence on Watergate Way. Officer Watson allowed the female companion to exit the vehicle in order to take two dogs into the house.
During the stop, the suspect acted aggressively toward Officer Watson, and a struggle ensued as Officer Watson attempted to arrest the man. At some point during the struggle, the suspect was able to obtain Officer Watson's service weapon, a Glock 21, .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun. The suspect fired two shots, one of which struck Officer Watson in the back and was deflected by his bullet-resistant vest. The second shot struck Officer Watson in the back of the head, killing him.
The suspect then walked into the residence, where his female companion took the gun from him and put it in the bedroom.
When backup officers arrived, the female came to the door and ran from the residence unharmed, but the suspect refused to surrender. After a short stand-off, the suspect surrendered to officers at 1:07 am. He was convicted of first-degree murder and assault on June 3, 2005, and sentenced to 101 years.
Officer Watson was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Kenai Police Department for 18 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, children, mother, two brothers, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AK-5D0F3AEF- 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.
Police Officer Watson gave the Kenai Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kenai 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 Patrick Watson served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer John Patrick Watson 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 AK, 35 of 50 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70% of this state's fallen. That is 15.8 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 Patrick Watson's cause is highlighted.
How John Patrick Watson Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 101 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Patrick Watson is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Patrick Watson was killed by officer's handgun.