Roll of Honor
John Thomas Davis
Incident
On July 1, 1930 at approximately 5:00 p.m., Dallas County Precinct 4 Constable John T. Davis and Deputy Constable T. Gardner Jones arrested four men caught in the act of stealing accessories from a stolen car. The officers found a pistol in their vehicle. En route to jail, the four men began fighting with the officers and took both of their pistols. The suspects shot both officers. Constable Davis was shot in the chest and died instantly. Deputy Constable Jones was wounded with powder burns from the gunfire.
All four men escaped, but three were later arrested. Antonio Adamez and Arturo Sanchez were sentenced to life in prison. Lupe Martinez received a 35 year sentence. Jesus Bustos escaped prosecution. On December 10, 1931, Arturo Sanchez was killed by another inmate.
Constable John Thomas Davis was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter. He is buried in the Mesquite City Cemetery in Dallas County.
Survivors
Constable John Thomas Davis was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-TX-E4C0A350- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Constable Davis served with the Dallas County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Grand Prairie community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Davis.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable John Thomas Davis 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 Thomas Davis's cause is highlighted.
How John Thomas Davis Compares
Offender Outcome
A. Adamez, A. Sanchez and L. Martinez
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Thomas Davis is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Thomas Davis was killed by officer's handgun.