Roll of Honor
Christian J. D. Wolfe
Incident
Officer J.D. Wolfe succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained nine days earlier while attempting to arrest a man who had assaulted another officer and who had stolen the officer's revolver.
He and a second officer located the man in a cotton field approximately eight miles south of the city. As they approached him, the man pulled out the stolen revolver and opened fire on the officers, striking Officer Wolfe in the neck. Both officers returned fire, wounding the suspect before he escaped.
Officer Wolfe's partner transported him back to his home in Orangeburg, where he remained until succumbing to the wound.
His killer was arrested on October 22nd, 1897. He was convicted of murder on January 11th, 1898, and executed by hanging on February 11th, 1898.
Officer Wolfe had served with the Orangeburg Police Department for 15 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, four children, and several siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-F5A53058- 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
129 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Wolfe gave the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of South Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Christian J. D. Wolfe 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 Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, 4 of 4 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. Christian J. D. Wolfe's cause is highlighted.
How Christian J. D. Wolfe Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1898
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Christian J. D. Wolfe is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Christian J. D. Wolfe was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Orangeburg Department of Public Safety are honored on badge.nw.
