James Kenneth Bounds

Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol — Jackson, MS

Cardiac

End of Watch October 21, 1984

Age 43

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

The Vigil Panel 128 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 27

Incident

Corporal James Bounds suffered a fatal heart attack after responding to the murder scene of Conservation Officer James Wood, of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Upon initially arriving at the scene Corporal Bounds set up a perimeter around the area of Officer Wood's home at Ross Barnett Lake, near Mize. When other officers and medical personnel arrived he entered the crime scene and learned that the victim was Officer Wood. Upon seeing Officer Wood he clutched his chest and collapsed as he said: "What about his family?"

The man who murdered Officer Wood was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Corporal Bounds had served with the Mississipi Highway Patrol for 20 years and was assigned to Troop J in Hattiesburg, Smith County.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MS-581723B1
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.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew James. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

20 years. You could have gone home.
Corporal Bounds gave the Mississippi Department of Public Safety 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Mississippi. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Bounds.

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

Agency

Department Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol

Location Jackson, MS

Platform Identity mdpsmhp.ms.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 21, 1984

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 43

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Corporal James Kenneth Bounds is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MS, 9 of 349 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 2.6% of this state's fallen. That is 1.4 percentage points below the national rate of 4%.

At Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol, 1 of 28 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.6% of this agency's fallen.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol

of 28 officers

3.6% Cardiac

MS — Statewide

of 349 officers

2.6% Cardiac

Nationwide

1,306

of 32,508 officers

4% Cardiac