Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant John Hawley was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer while retreating from a shootout with two heavily armed subjects at the Jones Court Apartments on Baldwin Street. The two men had just been released from prison and were planning a crime spree to murder police officers and district attorney staff members. Officers located the men in an apartment after they abducted a cab driver. As the SWAT team attempted to enter the apartment they came under heavy fire and two officers were wounded. Sergeant Hawley took up a position in the living room to offer cover to the other members who were retreating. He then escaped through a living room window and began to run from the apartment complex when he was shot as the result of an accidental discharge by another officer. The other officer, who had been guarding the perimeter for 45 minutes in sub-zero temperatures, attempted to reposition himself on the ground and his shotgun discharged, striking Sergeant Hawley. The barricaded subjects later committed murder-suicide, ending the standoff. Sergeant Hawley had served with the Elmira Police Department for 17 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-7B0259DD- 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.
Sergeant Hawley gave the Elmira Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Elmira community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Hawley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant John Charles Hawley is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Elmira Police Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Charles Hawley's cause is highlighted.
How John Charles Hawley Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Charles Hawley is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Elmira Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
