Incident
Around 12 midnight Deputy Sheriff John T. Morgan and a posse of three men attempted to arrest Lucio Perez for cutting a youth on the face at a fandango in the City of Tilden. Perez man resisted arrest and shot Deputy Sheriff Morgan in the center of the breast with the bullet lodging near his backbone. More than 12 shots were fired in the shootout, and Perez was shot five times, and died instantly. The newspaper reported that Morgan was expected to recover. He died from his wounds on Thursday, March 15, 1894. Some reports state he was also serving as a Deputy United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas under Marshal Dick Ware. He had reportedly been a peace officer for many years.
Morgan was survived by his wife and ten children. He was buried in Tilden in McMullen County.
Survivors
Morgan was survived by his wife and ten children.
In Our Keeping
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
132 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Morgan served with the McMullen County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Tilden community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John Tillie Morgan 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Tillie Morgan's cause is highlighted.
How John Tillie Morgan Compares
Offender Outcome
Killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Tillie Morgan is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Tillie Morgan was killed by handgun.