James Orval Bishop
Agency patch
Sheriff

James Orval Bishop

Felonious
End of Watch July 14, 1969
Age 52
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Badge 1
The Vigil Panel 105 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff James Bishop was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance at the Boostrom Apartments in Green Forest at 9:30 p.m. The suspect was a long-time acquaintance of the sheriff. When the sheriff approached his apartment, he identified himself, but the suspect opened fire, killing him. Then he turned and shot his wife. Sheriff Bishop returned fire before collapsing, wounding the suspect. Sheriff Bishop was transported to Boone County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The suspect and his wife recovered from their wounds. On December 10th, 1969, the suspect was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Sheriff Bishop has served as Sheriff of the Carroll County Sheriff's Department for six years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and ten children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-81B58C4E
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.
Sheriff Bishop gave the Carroll County Sheriff's Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Berryville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Bishop.

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

Agency

Location Berryville, AR
Platform Identity ccso.carroll.ar.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 14, 1969
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 52
Badge Number 1
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Sentenced to 15 years

Sheriff James Orval Bishop 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 AR, 249 of 372 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.9% of this state's fallen. That is 12.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Carroll County Sheriff's Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
AR — Statewide
249
of 372 officers
66.9% 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. James Orval Bishop'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 James Orval Bishop Compares

Age at End of Watch
52
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Sentenced to 15 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Orval Bishop is highlighted in Jul.

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. James Orval Bishop was killed by gun; unknown type.

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