Roll of Honor
Incident
Incident Date: Friday, August 12, 1881 Weapon: Gun; Unknown type Offender: Shot and killed in 1884
Constable James Harrison was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant for forgery in front of Kendall's Store on the Salt River Turnpike.
The warrant had been issued in Louisville and a detective had given it to Constable Harrison because the subject was known to frequent the store in Jefferson County. When the subject arrived at the store Constable Harrison confronted him and read the warrant to him.
The man read the warrant himself and then pulled a pistol from his pocket and shot Constable Harrison twice, fatally wounding him. The man fled the state and was arrested in Texas. He was returned to Kentucky where he was convicted of Constable Harrison's murder in December 1881. On August 17th, 1884, he escaped from the Kentucky Penitentiary in Frankfort with several other inmates. He was shot and killed by a posse as they attempted to recapture him.
Constable Harrison had served as a Jefferson County constable for 20 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and nine children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-KY-30164810- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
145 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Harrison gave the Jefferson County Constable's Office 20 years.
Thank you for your service to the Louisville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable James Simpson Harrison 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 22.6 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. James Simpson Harrison's cause is highlighted.
How James Simpson Harrison Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed in 1884
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Simpson Harrison is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Simpson Harrison was killed by gun; unknown type.