Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Goodin died eight hours after accidentally shooting himself with a 12 gauge shotgun. He had just finished a training session and was going to assist other officers who were having problems near an off-campus university building complex. Patrolman Goodin and another officer were taking an unmarked car to the area. He opened the driver’s door of the patrol car and reached for the shotgun, grabbing it by the barrel. As he pulled it towards him, the trigger caught on the VASCAR speed-checking unit mounted in the front seat and discharged. The blast struck him in the stomach. He was transported to O'Bleness Hospital where he died from his wounds. Patrolman Goodin was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Athens Police Department for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by a wife and an 11-month-old son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-730AEC7F- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Goodin gave the Athens Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Athens community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John Goodin served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Patrolman John Goodin is one of 10,095 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,588 officers honored here.
In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Athens Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Goodin's cause is highlighted.
How John Goodin Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Goodin is highlighted in Nov.
Military Service
John Goodin served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit John Goodin’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Athens Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
