Tommy Fox
Deputy Sheriff

Tommy Fox

Felonious
End of Watch August 22, 1970
Age 47
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Badge 7
The Vigil Panel 107 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Tommy Fox was shot and killed after he and several other officers responded to a disturbance at a night club in Batesburg, South Carolina, at 1:30 am. While on the scene the suspect was able to gain control of another officer's .38 caliber service weapon and opened fire, striking Deputy Fox four times in torso and head. Another officer was able to return fire and wounded the suspect. The man, 25, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 years. Deputy Fox had served with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department for nine years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, five children, and four grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-D8C6840E
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.
Deputy Sheriff Fox gave the Lexington County Sheriff's Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Lexington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Fox.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Lexington, Lexington County, SC
Platform Identity lcso.lexington.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 22, 1970
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 47
Badge Number 7
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Officer's handgun

Deputy Sheriff Tommy Fox 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 SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Lexington County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Lexington County Sheriff's Department
2
of 6 officers
33.3% Felonious
SC — Statewide
272
of 441 officers
61.7% 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. Tommy Fox's cause is highlighted.

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

How Tommy Fox Compares

Age at Death
47
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Tommy Fox is highlighted in Aug.

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. Tommy Fox was killed by officer's handgun.

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

Incident Location