Roll of Honor
John McPherson Berrian Brooks
Incident
A party of cowboys got on a drunken spree and began shooting promiscuously close to the business portion of the county seat of Henrietta. Clay County Precinct 4 Constable Berrian Brooks, hearing the firing, walked to where the cowboys were, and commanded them to halt. They refused to obey, and he fired his revolver. They turned and fired on Constable Brooks, shooting him in the back and mortally wounding him. Twenty-five armed citizens started in pursuit and captured four of the party and lodged them in jail. It is unknown at this time whether any of the cowboys were charged or convicted in the death of Constable Brooks.
John McPherson Berrian Brooks was born in 1848 in Jackson County, Georgia. He was survived by his wife Nancy Eveline Simmons Brooks and four children. His place of burial is unknown at this time. He had been elected one of eight constables for Clay County on November 5, 1878, and had served one year. Today Clay County has one elected constable.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife Nancy Eveline Simmons Brooks and four children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-TX-F98366C5- 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
147 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Brooks gave the Clay County Constable's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Henrietta community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable John McPherson Berrian Brooks 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 McPherson Berrian Brooks's cause is highlighted.
How John McPherson Berrian Brooks Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John McPherson Berrian Brooks is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.