Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Robert Gilmore and Special Officer John MacLeod, of the Montana-Crow Indian Reservation Police Department, were shot and killed when they went to arrest a transient. The man was the suspect in several burglaries in the county and wanted for disturbing the peace on the reservation. The officers told him the charges would be dropped if he left town. The officers went to his shack to arrest him after he failed to leave town. They were confronted by the man with a .22 caliber rifle and the man opened fire, fatally wounding Sheriff Gilmore in the neck. The suspect then wounded the undersheriff before barricading himself in his shack. As Officer MacLeod attempted to kick in the back door he was shot in the groin. The round struck an artery and Officer MacLeod bled to death. Deputies from Yellowstone County responded to the scene and set the house on fire. As the man fled he was shot and killed by the crowd.
Survivors
Sheriff Gilmore had been with the agency or 11 years and was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MT-C0CC4C3D- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sheriff Gilmore gave the Big Horn County Sheriff's Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hardin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Gilmore.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Robert Peter Gilmore 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 MT, 93 of 142 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.5% of this state's fallen. That is 65.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Big Horn County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Peter Gilmore's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Peter Gilmore Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Peter Gilmore is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert Peter Gilmore was killed by rifle.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Big Horn County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
