Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Giles Harmon was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Haywood County. Troopers were conducting heightened traffic enforcement in the area due to recent rock slides. The suspect had kidnapped his employer from Kentucky earlier in the day and had the victim in the vehicle when Trooper Harmon stopped him. Two passing truck drivers who witnessed Trooper Harmon's murder tried to run the suspect off the road, but he swerved and escaped. A responding Trooper tried to revive Trooper Harmon but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect abandoned his vehicle and released his abducted employer nearby at Harmon's Den exit. The next day, officers found the employer alive, and he was treated at a local hospital for a bullet wound. The suspect was located after a 3-day manhunt involving over 1000 state, local, and federal officers from North Carolina and Tennessee when he was spotted by a North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopter on the banks of the Pigeon River just 2 miles from the Tennessee state line. He was arrested by North Carolina Troopers and Waynesville Police. An investigation revealed that the suspect left Kentucky with his abducted employer to locate and murder his ex-wife in North Carolina. The 25-year-old suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on October 16, 1985. As of June 10, 2023, he remains in prison. The North Carolina General Assembly passed a resolution commending Trooper Harmon the day after his murder. Trooper Harmon was assigned to Trooper G, District 4, in Buncombe County. He had been a member of the North Carolina Highway Patrol for five years and had previously served as a Brevard, North Carolina, police officer. He is survived by his wife, who was a Buncombe County sheriff's deputy, and his parents. A section of Highway 276 in Brevard was renamed in his honor.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, who was a Buncombe County sheriff's deputy, and his parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-0A2EE6DE- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Harmon gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Harmon.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Giles Arthur Harmon 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At North Carolina Highway Patrol, 23 of 69 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Giles Arthur Harmon's cause is highlighted.
How Giles Arthur Harmon Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Giles Arthur Harmon is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Giles Arthur Harmon was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from North Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
