John Wesley Dier
Agency patch
Private

John Wesley Dier

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch November 12, 1848
Age 18
Tour of Duty 5 mo
The Vigil Panel 1 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Private John Dier was shot and killed when his Texas Ranger company was ambushed by Indians in Sabinal Canyon near present-day Utopia, Texas.

He was standing guard at the camp when he was shot in the chest and killed as Indians ambushed the company.

Private Dier had served with the Texas Rangers for only five months.

Pvt. Dier, On today, the 175th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of the state of Texas.

R.I.P. USBP

Anonymous United States Border Patrol November 12th, 2023

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-E2977069
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

178 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Dier served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Rangers
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 12, 1848
Tour of Duty 5 mo
Age 18
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle

Private John Wesley Dier 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 Texas Rangers, 104 of 122 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.2% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Rangers
104
of 122 officers
85.2% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,463
of 2,421 officers
60.4% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Wesley Dier's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How John Wesley Dier Compares

Age at End of Watch
18
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Wesley Dier is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Wesley Dier was killed by rifle.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location