Tonya Doreen Gillikin
Lieutenant

Tonya Doreen Gillikin

Enfield Police Dept. — Enfield, NC
Felonious
End of Watch March 15, 1999
Age 30
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 146 ›
Gender Female

Incident

Lieutenant Gillikin spotted a vehicle that was possibly used in a robbery of a local convenience store. She and Officer Robinson pulled over the vehicle which had two occupants. Officer Gillikin ordered the driver to exit the vehicle. While Officer Robinson patted down the first suspect, the second suspect exited the vehicle and shot Lieutenant Gillikin in the head, killing her instantly. Officer Robinson returned fire but the suspects were able to flee the scene. They were later re-captured and face several charges, including murder.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-E5597495
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.
Lieutenant Gillikin gave the Enfield Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Enfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Gillikin.

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

Agency

Location Enfield, NC
Platform Identity epd.halifax.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 15, 1999
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 30
Gender Female

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Lieutenant Tonya Doreen Gillikin 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Enfield Police Dept.
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
NC — Statewide
385
of 664 officers
58% 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. Tonya Doreen Gillikin'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 Tonya Doreen Gillikin Compares

Age at End of Watch
30
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Tonya Doreen Gillikin is highlighted in Mar.

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.

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