Ralph Izard "Rafe" Barnwell

United States Department of the Treasury - Office of Internal Revenue — Washington, DC

Felonious

End of Watch March 20, 1891

Age 29

The Vigil Panel 10 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 26

Incident

Location: North Carolina Weapon: Gun; Unknown type Offender: Not available

Posseman Rafe Barnwell was shot and killed in Surry County, North Carolina, while he and other officers raided a still.

The officers had seized the still while the operators fled into the surrounding woods. A deputy United States marshal was left outside while the other officers went inside the structure to dismantle it. Moments later one of the subjects shot the deputy marshal from the bushes, wounding him.

Posseman Barnwell exited the structure to assist the wounded officer and was immediately shot and killed.

Posseman Barnwell was survived by his wife and three children.

Survivors

Posseman Barnwell was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FED-C23673A5
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

135 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Posseman Barnwell served with the United States Department of the Treasury.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department United States Department of the Treasury - Office of Internal Revenue

Location Washington, DC

Platform Identity usdtoirfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 20, 1891

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Posseman Ralph Izard "Rafe" Barnwell 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 - Office of Internal Revenue, 25 of 27 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 92.6% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Treasury - Office of Internal Revenue

of 27 officers

92.6% Felonious

DC — Statewide

754

of 1,419 officers

53.1% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious