Roll of Honor

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Town Marshal

Tom R. Holton

Nicholls Police Department — Nicholls, GA

Felonious

End of Watch December 6, 1902

Age 38

The Vigil Panel 18 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Town Marshal Tom Holton was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest an intoxicated man with a rifle.

The suspect, who was walking the streets, terrorizing citizens with his rifle, shot Marshal Holton through his heart as he approached. The man then became desperate, firing at everything in sight. One of his bullets struck and killed a 13 year-old boy. The shooting ended when he received a shotgun blast in the back from an unknown citizen.

The suspect was convicted of the boy's murder and hanged at the Coffee County Jail in Douglass, December 18, 1903.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-GA-40059813
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Town Marshal Holton served with the Nicholls Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Nicholls community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Town Marshal Holton.

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

Agency

Department Nicholls Police Department

Location Nicholls, GA

Platform Identity npd.coffee.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 6, 1902

Age 38

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Rifle

Offender Executed in 1903

Town Marshal Tom R. Holton 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%.

Nicholls Police Department

of 1 officers

100% Felonious

GA — Statewide

548

of 903 officers

60.7% 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. Tom R. Holton'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 Tom R. Holton Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Executed in 1903

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Tom R. Holton is highlighted in Dec.

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. Tom R. Holton was killed by rifle.

Gun; Unknown type

5,083

Handgun

2,077

Shotgun

922

Officer's handgun

909

Automobile; Alcohol involved

530

Rifle

518