Roll of Honor
John Sidney Mott
Incident
Location: North Carolina Weapon: Shotgun Offender: Acquitted
Forest Ranger John Mott was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest four men for hunting on the Fort Bragg Reservation in Hoke County. Ranger Mott had encountered the men carrying a deer to their automobile and informed them they were under arrest.
When he attempted to disarm one of the men the man opened fire with a shotgun, killing him.
The four men were arrested a short time later. The suspect who shot him was charged with murder and the other three were charged with accessory to murder. When placed on trial each of the four tried to affix blame for the actual slaying on one of the others. Two were freed by the jury while the other two were declared guilty, only to be freed later because of a technical flaw in the drafting of the indictments against them.
Ranger Mott had served in the US Army for 16 years and held the military rank of Sergeant.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-FED-CB11F2AE- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Forest Ranger Mott gave the United States Department of Defense 16 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John Sidney Mott served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Forest Ranger John Sidney Mott 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Sidney Mott's cause is highlighted.
How John Sidney Mott Compares
Offender Outcome
Acquitted
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Sidney Mott is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Sidney Mott was killed by shotgun.