Roll of Honor
Incident
Cuero City Marshal John E. Martindale accidentally shot himself when his revolver fell from his holster and struck the hammer, discharging the revolver. The bullet entered his stomach a little to left of his navel, turning upward, passing entirely through his body exiting below his left shoulder blade. Martindale died at 9:30 p.m. that night. The newspaper described him as an energetic young man and a good officer, faultlessly filling his position. He was buried in the Hillside Cemetery in Cuero, Dewitt County.
No passage of time can ever erase your service and sacrifice. Rest in peace always.
Detective Cpl/3 Steven Rizzo Delaware State Police (Retired) October 25th, 2020
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
139 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Martindale served with the Cuero Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Cuero community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
City Marshal John E. Martindale is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John E. Martindale's cause is highlighted.
How John E. Martindale Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John E. Martindale is highlighted in Oct.