Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff John Kimmey succumbed to gunshot and stab wounds sustained two days earlier when he was attacked by a man who was an opposing candidate for the office of sheriff.
The other candidate attacked Sheriff Kimmey and struck him in the face with a bowie knife, inflicting a serious wound. Despite the injury, Sheriff Kimmey was able to fatally wound the subject. One of the man's friends then chased Sheriff Kimmey from the scene and shot him. Sheriff Kimmey died of the wounds two days later.
The man who shot him fled the scene and was never apprehended.
Sheriff Kinney served with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office for two years.
Even after all these years the people of Sumter county still owe you quite a great deal for your sacrifice.
Chaplain Joe P. Morgan Retired December 11th, 2023
In Our Keeping
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
187 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Kimmey gave the Sumter County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Americus community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff John Kimmey 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 GA, 548 of 903 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.5 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 Kimmey's cause is highlighted.
How John Kimmey Compares
Offender Outcome
Never apprehended
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Kimmey is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Kimmey was killed by gun; unknown type.