Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Charles Elliott succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two days earlier when he was shot while he and a deputy from a local mining company attempted to raid a still in the mountains near Louellen, Kentucky. The two officers were ambushed near the site of the still and both were struck by a shotgun blast.
Although wounded in the neck, the other deputy was able to return to Louellen to get help. Other officers returned to the scene and had to carry Chief Elliott 1.5 miles on a stretcher to the nearest road. He was taken to Harlan Hospital where he died of his wounds two days later.
Two men were arrested and charged with murder. One was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. He was paroled in 1962. The other suspect was acquitted.
Chief Elliott had served in law enforcement for over 20 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters, two brothers, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-8A20CD7F- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Chief of Police Elliott gave the Louellen Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Louellen community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Elliott.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Charles F. Elliott 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. Charles F. Elliott's cause is highlighted.
How Charles F. Elliott Compares
Offender Outcome
Arrested
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles F. Elliott is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles F. Elliott was killed by shotgun.