Roll of Honor
John Painter
Incident
Police Officer John Painter and civilian Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson were shot and killed while responding to a call involving a suspicious person carrying a duffel bag in a restricted area of Memorial Hall.
Officer Painter and CSO Jefferson contacted the subject. After a short interaction, the man opened fire on them, fatally wounding both. The man fled on foot into the town of Bridgewater. He was taken into custody after wading onto an island in the North River.
The man was a former Bridgewater College student. He was charged with two counts of capital murder and additional felonies related to the incident.
Officer Painter was a United States Air Force veteran and served in law enforcement for 20 years. He had formerly served as the police chief of the Grottoes Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, granddaughter, grandson, and former spouse.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-B245612E- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Painter gave the Bridgewater College Police Department 20 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bridgewater community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John Painter served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer John Painter 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 VA, 395 of 654 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 Painter's cause is highlighted.
How John Painter Compares
Offender Outcome
Charged with capital murder
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Painter is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Painter was killed by handgun.