John Fletcher Clark
Agency patch
Undersheriff

John Fletcher Clark

Felonious
End of Watch July 12, 1961
Age 69
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 96 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Undersheriff John Clark was shot and killed as he attempted to catch the suspect who had shot and killed Lieutenant Hiram Short, of the Colorado State Patrol, earlier in the day. He and the county sheriff had setup a roadblock near Bond, Colorado, in an attempt to stop the suspect. The man rammed their car and then opened fire, striking Undersheriff Clark in the face. The suspect was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life. He died in prison in 1999.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-BF12D0AF
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

You barely got started.
Undersheriff Clark gave the Eagle County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Eagle community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Undersheriff Clark.

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

Agency

Location Eagle, CO
Platform Identity ecso.eagle.co.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 12, 1961
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 69
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun
Offender Died in prison

Undersheriff John Fletcher Clark 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 CO, 235 of 360 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.3% of this state's fallen. That is 11.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

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

Eagle County Sheriff's Office
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
CO — Statewide
235
of 360 officers
65.3% 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 Fletcher Clark'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 Fletcher Clark Compares

Age at End of Watch
69
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Died in prison

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Fletcher Clark 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. John Fletcher Clark was killed by handgun.

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 Eagle County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.