Roll of Honor
Incident
Assistant Chief of Police John Southall and Special Deputy Sheriff Richard Shipp, of the Hunt County Sheriff's Office, were shot and killed while attempting to arrest an intoxicated man who was firing a pistol. The suspect opened fire on the officers, striking Assistant Chief Southall in the forehead and the unarmed Deputy Shipp in the heart. Other officers on the scene returned fire and killed the suspect.
Survivors
Assistant Chief Southall was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-EF5D97D2- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Assistant Chief of Police Southall served with the Greenville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Greenville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Chief of Police Southall.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Assistant Chief of Police John L. Southall 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 Greenville Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John L. Southall's cause is highlighted.
How John L. Southall Compares
Offender Outcome
Apprehended
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John L. Southall is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John L. Southall was killed by gun; unknown type.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Greenville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
