Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Alan Ragsdale was shot and killed while responding to a silent burglary alarm at a local motorcycle dealership.
Officer Ragsdale had parked his cruiser at the rear of the building and walked around the entire building to verify all of the doors were secured. As he walked past the storefront, he spotted the suspect, who immediately fired three shots, striking Officer Ragsdale once. The round struck him in the armpit area, where his vest did not offer protection. Officer Ragsdale was flown to Vanderbilt University Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The 18-year-old suspect fled the scene when other officers arrived, but was captured later in the day and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and burglary. On August 23, 2002, the suspect pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Officer Ragsdale had been an officer with the 12-officer Hohenwald Police Department for 18 months.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife, son, and two stepchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-CC9D0058- 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
You barely got started.
Police Officer Ragsdale gave the Hohenwald Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Hohenwald community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Ragsdale.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Alan Matthew Ragsdale 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 TN, 498 of 769 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Alan Matthew Ragsdale's cause is highlighted.
How Alan Matthew Ragsdale Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Alan Matthew Ragsdale is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.