Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff James Crawford Bonner was accidentally shot and killed as he and several other deputies were on their way to investigate the armed robbery of an Alabama Great Southern passenger train that had occurred the previous day in Bibbville.
Deputy Bonner and the posse were traveling in the caboose of a special car that was conveying them to Tuscaloosa. When it was time for them to disembark, one of the deputies reached for his rifle. As he picked up the weapon, it discharged. Deputy Bonner, who was preparing the unit's dogs to search for the suspects, was struck in the chest by the blast and killed instantly.
Deputy Bonner was survived by his wife and his mother.
He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Birmingham.
Survivors
Deputy Bonner was survived by his wife and his mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-0D554BDD- 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 Bonner served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Bonner.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff James Crawford Bonner 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 AL, 182 of 643 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.3% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 24 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Crawford Bonner's cause is highlighted.
How James Crawford Bonner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Crawford Bonner is highlighted in Sep.
Others Who Wore This Badge
23 officers from Jefferson County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
