Roll of Honor
Incident
Tom Hill, the former city marshal of Abilene, had taken the city marshal’s job at Ballinger and left his wife and family in neighboring Taylor County. An intoxicated saloon owner armed himself with a Winchester rifle and shot out the streets lights outside his saloon. He went to the Palace Saloon and started creating a disturbance. He then fired his rifle and accidentally shot City Marshal Tom Hill in the left foot, when Hill attempted to disarm him. Hill’s foot had to be amputated. The surgery was not a success. Hill died at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 8, 1886.
On October 7, 1886, the suspect was shot and killed in Fort McKavett when he confronted a lawman while armed with a pike.
Hill was survived by his wife and three children. He was buried in the Abilene City Cemetery.
Survivors
Hill was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-TX-E8BF2847- Stewardship
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
140 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Hill served with the Ballinger Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Ballinger community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
City Marshal John Thomas "Tom" Hill 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 "Tom" Hill's cause is highlighted.
How John Thomas "Tom" Hill Compares
Offender Outcome
Deceased
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Thomas "Tom" Hill is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Thomas "Tom" Hill was killed by rifle; winchester.