Roll of Honor
Joseph Seawell Gunnell
Incident
Officer Joe Gunnell was killed in an automobile crash while he and another officer responded to reports of two men sleeping on Highway 43 (current-day 378), about four miles west of Columbia.
As the officers came upon the area, the other officer failed to see the men in the curve of the roadway until the last moment and swerved to avoid striking them. The vehicle went down an embankment and into a ditch. Officer Gunnell suffered fatal injuries in the accident.
Officer Gunnell was a United States Army WWII veteran and had served with the West Columbia Police Department for three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, young daughter, parents, two sisters, and one brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-A2A2244E- 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 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.
Police Officer Gunnell gave the West Columbia Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the West Columbia community. Thank you 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
Joseph Seawell Gunnell served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Joseph Seawell Gunnell 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 SC, 137 of 438 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.3% of this state's fallen. That is 0.3 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At West Columbia Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Seawell Gunnell's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Seawell Gunnell Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Seawell Gunnell is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from West Columbia Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
