John Wyndell Robinson, Sr.
Agency patch
Officer

John Wyndell Robinson, Sr.

Felonious
End of Watch December 24, 1980
Age 54
Tour of Duty 33 yrs
The Vigil Panel 123 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer John Robinson was stabbed to death while conducting checks in the Department of Public Services office at 813 E 4th Place, in downtown Los Angeles.

He was checking one of the restrooms when he was attacked by two welfare recipients and stabbed twice. He was able to shoot one of the men while the other fled.

Officer Robinson succumbed to his wounds as he was being transported to a local hospital. He was slain the day before his 55th birthday.

Officer Robinson had served in law enforcement for 33 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and six children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-0F394EDE
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

33 years. You could have gone home.
Officer Robinson gave the Los Angeles County Safety Police 33 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Downey community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Robinson.

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

Agency

Location Downey, CA
Platform Identity lacspd.losangeles.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 24, 1980
Tour of Duty 33 yrs
Age 54
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Stabbed
Weapon Edged weapon

Officer John Wyndell Robinson, Sr. 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Los Angeles County Safety Police, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Los Angeles County Safety Police
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% 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. John Wyndell Robinson, Sr.'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 John Wyndell Robinson, Sr. Compares

Age at End of Watch
54
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Wyndell Robinson, Sr. is highlighted in Dec.

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. John Wyndell Robinson, Sr. was killed by edged weapon.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Los Angeles County Safety Police are honored on badge.nw.