Roll of Honor
James Payton Jones
Incident
Correctional Officer James Jones was shot and killed during an escape attempt of 32 convicts at 2:00 pm.
He was assigned to the guard tower at the Oklahoma State Reformatory, in Granite, when one of the escaping inmates opened fire with a shotgun, killing him. The inmates obtained two guns that had been smuggled into them and took a school group hostage as the group took a tour.
Most if not all were eventually captured. Officer Jones' killer was identified and he and three others, who planned the escape, were charged with his murder. All four were convicted and sentenced to life. The killer was paroled on July 22, 1959. The other three were eventually transferred to Alcatraz to serve life sentences for federal crimes including bank robberies and kidnapping. One was pardoned by President Nixon on October 29, 1973.
Correctional Officer Jones' wife was standing on a porch a short distance away at the time of the shooting and witnessed her husband's murder.
Correctional Officer Jones had been with the agency for three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-98FA09BA- 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.
Correctional Officer Jones gave the Oklahoma Department of Corrections 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Oklahoma. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Correctional Officer Jones.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Correctional Officer James Payton Jones 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%.
At Oklahoma Department of Corrections, 14 of 19 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 73.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Payton Jones's cause is highlighted.
How James Payton Jones Compares
Offender Outcome
Paroled in 1959
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Payton Jones is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Payton Jones was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
18 officers from Oklahoma Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
