Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Frank Venable was shot and killed by a prisoner at the Bell County Jail.
He and another deputy were returning a prisoner to his cell when another inmate reached through the bars, grabbed Deputy Venable's gun, and shot him to death. The other deputy returned fire, killing the inmate.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-09593291- 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
148 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Venable served with the Bell County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Belton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Frank W. Venable 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Bell County Sheriff's Dept., 2 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank W. Venable's cause is highlighted.
How Frank W. Venable Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Frank W. Venable is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Bell County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
