Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Samuel Johnson was shot and killed when he was ambushed while responding to shots fired call on Pillar Point at 6:30 pm. A man had just murdered a friend and then went to a nearby intersection and set up an ambush. As Chief Johnson responded to the shots fired call, not knowing a murder had been committed, he slowed at the intersection to turn when the suspect opened fire on him with the shotgun. Chief Johnson's patrol car ran into a guard rail, where the man came up and shot him several more times before stealing his radio and service weapon. After other units failed to reach Chief Johnson on the radio, they went to investigate and found where he had been shot. After a high-speed pursuit, the suspect was shot several times and wounded. He pleaded guilty for the reason of insanity and was committed to a state hospital. Chief Johnson had served with the Dexter Police Department for 13 years. He was survived by his wife and five children. The State Highway 180 Bridge was renamed the Samuel A. Johnson Memorial Bridge.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and five children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-NY-5A046A3F- 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.
Chief of Police Johnson gave the Dexter Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dexter community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Johnson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Samuel A. Johnson, Sr. 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 NY, 754 of 2,147 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 35.1% of this state's fallen. That is 19.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Samuel A. Johnson, Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Samuel A. Johnson, Sr. Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Samuel A. Johnson, Sr. is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Samuel A. Johnson, Sr. was killed by shotgun.