Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Henry Howard was shot and killed as he and three deputies attempted to serve a warrant for the manufacture of illegal liquor one mile south of Monetta.
At 9:30 p.m., when Sheriff Howard and three deputies approached the house, several men inside opened fire, fatally wounding Sheriff Howard. The deputies were able to return fire and killed two of the suspects.
The three remaining suspects were convicted of Sheriff Howard's murder but later had the convictions overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court. During the retrial, a local judge ordered the charges against one of the suspects dropped. The local citizens became outraged and on October 8, 1926, stormed the jail and shot the three suspects to death after dragging them into the country.
Sheriff Howard had served with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office for 13 years and had previously served as a Constable and later as Chief of Police of Aiken, South Carolina.
Sheriff Howard is buried in Graniteville Cemetery, Graniteville, South Carolina.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, seven children, and three siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-FB0F6A32- 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
21 years. You could have gone home.
Sheriff Howard gave the Aiken County Sheriff's Office 21 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Aiken community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Howard.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Henry Hampton Howard 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 Aiken County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry Hampton Howard's cause is highlighted.
How Henry Hampton Howard Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry Hampton Howard is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Henry Hampton Howard was killed by rifle.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Aiken County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
