Roll of Honor

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Constable

Charles B. Dorris

Summersville Police Department — Summersville, MO

Felonious

End of Watch July 18, 1888

Age 23

The Vigil Panel 9 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Constable Dorris was shot and killed while transporting a prisoner to jail. A few days later the suspect was apprehended in Houston, Texas. He was returned to Missouri, convicted of murder, and sentenced to hang. In January of 1893, after many delays for his execution, he and eleven others escaped from the Shannon County Jail. On February 17, 1898, he was captured on the Current River in Ripley County and returned to Shannon County. Three months later his sentence was commuted to 25 years and he was sent to the Missouri Penitentiary.

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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

138 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Dorris served with the Summersville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Summersville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Summersville Police Department

Location Summersville, MO

Platform Identity spd.texas.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 18, 1888

Age 23

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Sentence commuted to 25 years

Constable Charles B. Dorris 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Summersville Police Department

of 1 officers

100% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% 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. Charles B. Dorris'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 Charles B. Dorris Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Sentence commuted to 25 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles B. Dorris is highlighted in Jul.

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. Charles B. Dorris was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type

5,083

Handgun

2,077

Shotgun

922

Officer's handgun

909

Automobile; Alcohol involved

530

Rifle

518