Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief James Holcombe succumbed to gunshot wounds received 19 days earlier during a barricade situation. Another officer had been shot and wounded by the man and Chief Holcombe and other officers attempted to make a forced entry. As they did so the suspect fired through a window, fatally wounding Chief Holcombe. The other officers shot and wounded the suspect who died from his wounds a month later.
Survivors
Chief Holcombe was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-F1541C8C- 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.
Chief of Police Holcombe gave the Greenville Police Department 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Greenville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Holcombe.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police James Earl Holcombe 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 Greenville Police Department, 11 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 91.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Earl Holcombe's cause is highlighted.
How James Earl Holcombe Compares
Offender Outcome
Deceased
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Earl Holcombe is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Earl Holcombe was killed by gun; unknown type.
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Greenville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
