Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Stephen Riner and Reserve Deputy Barry Shelton were killed in a single vehicle accident while responding to a domestic violence call.
Both officers were killed when their vehicle went off the roadway and hit a tree. Deputy Riner had been employed with the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department for ten years, and is survived by his daughter, two sons, three sisters, and two brothers.
Survivors
Deputy Riner had been employed with the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department for ten years, and is survived by his daughter, two sons, three sisters, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-09191F05- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Riner gave the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Blountville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Riner.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Stephen Dwight Riner 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 TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Sullivan County Sheriff's Dept., 3 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Stephen Dwight Riner's cause is highlighted.
How Stephen Dwight Riner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Stephen Dwight Riner is highlighted in Sep.
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Sullivan County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
