Roll of Honor
Incident
Commissioner John McCarty was accidentally killed when his shotgun suffered a malfunction, causing the shotgun shell to explode in the barrel.
He was on a hunting trip in the area of Miller's Canyon in what is now the Coconino National Forest. He was collecting specimens for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, when the accident occurred. The explosion caused him to suffer a fatal injury to his face. His body wasn't located until August 19th, 1901.
Commissioner McCarty had served as Arizona's Game Commissioner for two years and ten months. He also held a commission as a Deputy United States Marshal.
The area in which he was killed was later renamed McCarty Ridge.
Commissioner McCarty, On today, the 120th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of the state of Arizona.
R.I.P. USBP
Anonymous United States Border Patrol June 6th, 2021
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-88AF3DC7- 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.
Commissioner McCarty gave the Arizona Department of Game and Fish 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Commissioner McCarty.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Commissioner John McCarty 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 AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Arizona Department of Game and Fish, 3 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John McCarty's cause is highlighted.
How John McCarty Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John McCarty is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Arizona Department of Game and Fish are honored on badge.nw.
