Roll of Honor
John Ruskin Foster
Incident
Investigator John Foster was shot and killed as he and another agent were chasing a vehicle near St. John, Indiana. While parked near a filling station, on U.S. 30 in Dyer at about 1:00 am, the agents saw a vehicle with two suspected bootleggers and gave chase. As they turned south on U.S. 41, their speeds reached over 75 mph until the vehicle turned eastbound onto a dirt road, heading toward Crown Point. When the vehicle rounded a curve, one of the suspects opened fire with four shots from a high-powered rifle. Investigator Foster was struck twice in the leg and once in the heart, killing him instantly. The suspects were able to flee the scene, but the driver was captured by police in Chicago Heights, Illinois, three hours later. During questioning, he confessed they were carrying 200 gallons of untaxed alcohol from Chicago to Indianapolis and implicated the other suspect as the shooter. That suspect was captured on May 27 in a rooming house in Indianapolis. Both suspects pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and on June 26, 1936, were sentenced to life in a federal penitentiary. Investigator Foster had served with the Alcohol Tax Unit for over one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife of one year and his father.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-7A5A5610- 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.
Investigator Foster gave the United States Department of the Treasury 1 year.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Investigator Foster.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Investigator John Ruskin Foster 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 DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, 12 of 30 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Ruskin Foster's cause is highlighted.
How John Ruskin Foster Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Ruskin Foster is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Ruskin Foster was killed by rifle.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
29 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
