Roll of Honor
Incident
Constable John Barner was shot and killed while attempting to serve an assault warrant on a subject near Woodward, Centre County.
The man had assaulted his father-in-law one year earlier while attending a fair and had been terrorizing citizens of Woodward for several months. Constable Barner, who had just been elected one week earlier, deputized a citizen and organized a posse in an attempt to arrest the subject at his cabin.
As they approached the home the subject warned them not to approach. As the posse continued toward the house the man threw a lit stick of dynamite at him, but the explosion did not injure any of the officers. The man retreated upstairs in his cabin. As Constable Barner climbed the stairs the man opened fire on, striking him with a shotgun blast and wounding the deputized citizen.
The man then shot several citizens who attempted to approach the house. A large mob of citizens was organized and they eventually lit the house on fire, forcing the man's family from it. The man then committed suicide as the house burned, and then ultimately exploded due to a large quantity of dynamite inside of it.
Constable Barner had served as an elected constable of Centre County for only one week.
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Barner served with the Pennsylvania State Constable.
Thank you for your service to the Bellefonte community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable John T. Barner 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 6.9 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. John T. Barner's cause is highlighted.
How John T. Barner Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed suicide
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John T. Barner is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John T. Barner was killed by shotgun.