Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Hill was shot and killed while he and the chief investigated three suspicious men in a vehicle. When the two officers pulled up next to them to question them the men immediately opened fire, wounding the chief and fatally wounding Officer Hill.
Two of the suspects were apprehended and sent to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. The third suspect continued a life of crime and ended up in the Folsom State Prison in California. On September 19, 1937, the suspect, along with six other inmates attempted to escape from the prison. In doing so, the inmates murdered Officer Harry Martin and Warden Clarence Larkin, both of the California Department of Corrections. The suspect was sentenced to death for those two murders and executed in the gas chamber on December 2, 1938.
Officer Hill had been with the agency for 11 years and was survived by his wife and eight children.
Survivors
Officer Hill had been with the agency for 11 years and was survived by his wife and eight children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-40CDEB2E- 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.
Police Officer Hill gave the Marlow Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Marlow community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Hill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer James Richard Hill 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 OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 15 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Richard Hill's cause is highlighted.
How James Richard Hill Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1938
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Richard Hill is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Richard Hill was killed by shotgun.