Roll of Honor
John Bennett Cornwell
Incident
Dispensary Constable John Cornwell succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained as he and another constable attempted to arrest two men for possession of several kegs of illegal liquor. They had encountered the suspects near the Southern Railway Bridge in Greenville County.
As the other constable began loading the illegal liquor into the constable's buggy one of the suspects began arguing with Constable Cornwell. During the ensuing struggle the man produced a revolver and shot Constable Cornwell at point blank range.
Constable Cornwell and the the other constable both returned fire, striking the suspect several times. The other constable was wounded in the shootout. Constable Cornwell and the suspect both succumbed to their wounds two days later. The second suspect escaped from the scene.
Constable Cornwell was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Constable Cornwell was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-EB972670- 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
127 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Dispensary Constable Cornwell served with the South Carolina State Dispensary Commission.
Thank you for your service to the Columbia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Dispensary Constable John Bennett Cornwell 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 SC, 271 of 438 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At South Carolina State Dispensary Commission, 9 of 9 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Bennett Cornwell's cause is highlighted.
How John Bennett Cornwell Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Bennett Cornwell is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Bennett Cornwell was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from South Carolina State Dispensary Commission are honored on badge.nw.
