Patrick Kelly
Agency patch
Jailer

Patrick Kelly

Felonious
End of Watch July 20, 1891
Age 51
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 11 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Jailer Patrick Kelly was beaten to death my a mentally ill inmate at the Galveston County Jail.

Jailer Kelly was attacked by the inmate, who struck and kicked him. The inmate then pulled Jailer Kelly into a cell where he beat him mercilessly, stomping on his chest and stomach. The inmate had to be forcibly restrained in order for Jailer Kelly to be rescued and receive medical attention. Jailer Kelly died six days after the vicious attack.

Jailer Kelly had served with the Galveston County Sheriff's Department for five years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-34316CED
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

135 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Jailer Kelly gave the Galveston County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Galveston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Galveston, Galveston County, TX
Platform Identity gcso.galveston.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 20, 1891
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Jailer Patrick Kelly 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Galveston County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Galveston County Sheriff's Office
3
of 5 officers
60% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Patrick Kelly's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Patrick Kelly Compares

Age at Death
51
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Patrick Kelly is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909