Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Dane Johns was accidentally shot and killed when his department-issued shotgun discharged as he removed it from his patrol car at the end of his shift.
The incident occurred when he attempted to secure the weapon for the night and the shotgun's trigger was depressed by his other equipment, causing the weapon to discharge. Deputy Johns was transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds.
Deputy Johns had served with the Williamson County Sheriff's Department for 22 years and had been recognized as the agency's Deputy of the Year in 2003.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-2EFFF943- 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
22 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Johns gave the Williamson County Sheriff's Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Marion community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Johns.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Dane Ray Johns is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Williamson County Sheriff's Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dane Ray Johns's cause is highlighted.
How Dane Ray Johns Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dane Ray Johns is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Williamson County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
