Thearel Major Johnson
Agency patch
City Marshal

Thearel Major Johnson

Wister Police Department — Wister, OK
Felonious
End of Watch June 30, 1950
Age 45
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 86 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Thearel Johnson was shot and killed while attempting to arrest two robbery suspects. One of the men produced a gun and opened fire. Despite being mortally wounded, Marshal Johnson was able to return fire and killed the suspect.

The second man was arrested and charged with murder.

Marshal Johnson had served with the agency for one year.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-C98193CB
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

You barely got started.
City Marshal Johnson gave the Wister Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Wister community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, City Marshal Johnson.

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

Agency

Location Wister, OK
Platform Identity wpd.leflore.ok.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 30, 1950
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender Shot and killed

City Marshal Thearel Major Johnson 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 OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 15 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Wister Police 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.

Wister Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
OK — Statewide
403
of 582 officers
69.2% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thearel Major Johnson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Thearel Major Johnson Compares

Age at End of Watch
45
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Shot and killed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thearel Major Johnson is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Thearel Major Johnson was killed by handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Wister Police Department are honored on badge.nw.