Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Johnny Sides succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained on January 22nd, 1951, when he was shot after he and his partner stopped a vehicle for running a red light near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourth Avenue. As they approached the vehicle the four men opened fire on them, striking Officer Sides in his abdomen and wounding his partner. The suspects were arrested two days later in Arkansas after a county sheriff used a rock to subdue them. The men were suspects for the December 1950 wounding of a Mississippi Department of Public Safety trooper. All four men were convicted of murdering Officer Sides. One, 21, and his 32-year-old uncle were executed; one on March 12, 1952, and the other on April 9, 1952. On June 27, 1951, the other two men, 19 and 23, were sentenced 99 years each. Officer Sides had served with the Dallas Police Department for three months.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents, brother, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-1FCCB714- 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.
Officer Sides served with the Dallas Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Sides.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Willis Wood Sides 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Dallas Police Department, 55 of 95 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Willis Wood Sides's cause is highlighted.
How Willis Wood Sides Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Willis Wood Sides is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Willis Wood Sides was killed by gun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
94 officers from Dallas Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
