Incident
Corporal Kenneth Johnson was shot and killed while conducting a holiday weekend public safety checkpoint in Berkeley County at 2:15 am.
He and other troopers were positioned on College Park Road, between I-26 and US 17A, and had stopped a pickup truck. As a trooper wrote the female driver a ticket for possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage, Corporal Johnson walked around the back of the truck to check the identity of the male passenger. As he did so, the man jumped out of the truck and opened fire, striking Corporal Johnson in the abdomen just below his protective vest. As the man attempted to escape, the other troopers returned fire, wounding him, and took him into custody.
The male subject was an escapee from a Charleston County work release detail. The female driver of the truck was also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. The male was convicted of seven counts, including murder, on May 18th, 2003, and was sentenced to death the following day. In October 2015, the man committed suicide by hanging himself in his jail cell.
Corporal Johnson had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 12 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Corporal Johnson gave the South Carolina Highway Patrol 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of South Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Johnson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Felonious
South Carolina Highway Patrol has lost 52 officers; 20 of them killed feloniously.
Kenneth is one of 272 officers killed feloniously in SC, 61.5% of the 442 remembered there.
Kenneth is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.
Kenneth is one of 17,622 officers killed feloniously worldwide, 51.7% of the 34,102 remembered here.
34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2002, 1 officer at South Carolina Highway Patrol was killed feloniously, the 2nd heaviest of 19 years on record. The heaviest was 1979, with 2.
In 2002, 7 officers in SC were killed feloniously, more than in any other year.
In 2002, 73 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 96th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.
In 2002, 77 officers worldwide were killed feloniously, the 95th heaviest of 265 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 516.
Who
Kenneth was 38. Of the 19 killed feloniously at South Carolina Highway Patrol whose age is recorded, half were between 28.5 and 39.5; the middle age was 31. Kenneth had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 9 years.
Kenneth was 38. Of the 243 killed feloniously in SC whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 47; the middle age was 38. Kenneth had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 5.3 years.
Kenneth was 38. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Kenneth had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Kenneth was 38. Of the 15,853 killed feloniously worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 46; the middle age was 38. Kenneth had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
July holds 10% of these deaths at South Carolina Highway Patrol; December holds the most, 20%. Sundays: 20%.
July holds 10.7% of these deaths in SC, more than any other month. Sundays: 19.5%.
July holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.
July holds 9% of these deaths worldwide; December holds the most, 9.2%. Sundays: 15.2%.
How
Felonious deaths account for 38.5% of all 52 deaths at South Carolina Highway Patrol, the 2nd most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 30% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 61.5% of all 442 deaths in SC, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 21% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 51.7% of all 34,102 deaths worldwide, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 20.9% of these deaths.
His people
South Carolina Highway Patrol has 52 officers remembered here, Kenneth among them.
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Ralph W. McCracken Oct 12, 1931
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William Pierre Lancaster
Jun 9, 1932
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John Davenport Cunningham
Jun 1, 1933
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Hansford McKinley Reeves
Feb 15, 1934
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Edwin DeRonda Milam
Dec 25, 1934
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Edward M. Hennecy
Nov 19, 1935
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Kenneth Earl McNeill
Jan 2, 1937
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Lide Lawson Rhodes
Jul 15, 1938
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Walter T. Bell
Feb 4, 1939
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Harlan M. Smith
Sep 23, 1940
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George G. Broome
May 28, 1941
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Joseph P. Monroe Sep 30, 1941
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Norris Nettles
Jan 4, 1942
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Albert T. Sealy
Oct 4, 1950
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Arnold R. Carter
Jun 18, 1956
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Harry Boyd Ray
Sep 7, 1958
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Henry C. Yonce
May 19, 1959
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John Ray Riddle
Jan 15, 1961
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Marion Charles Steele
Sep 10, 1966
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Richard Varn Woods
Aug 19, 1969
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Alfred A. Thomason
Jul 27, 1970
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Jimmy A. Traylor
Dec 25, 1970
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Roy Odes Caffey
Oct 8, 1972
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Fulton House Anthony
Mar 10, 1973
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Ben Wesley Strickland
May 31, 1974
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Willie Edward Peeples
Jun 8, 1979
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Robert A. Mobley
Jul 19, 1979
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David Lee Alverson
Nov 13, 1981
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John R. Clinton
May 24, 1983
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Bruce Kenneth Smalls
Sep 27, 1985
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Robert Paul Perry, Jr.
Apr 15, 1987
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George Tillman Radford
Oct 29, 1988
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Harry Mckinley Coker Jr.
Jun 21, 1989
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Marvin Leroy Titus
Nov 20, 1991
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David Hunter O'Brien
Dec 14, 1991
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Hardy Merl Godbold
Feb 29, 1992
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Mark Hunter Coates
Nov 20, 1992
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Randall Lamar Hester
Apr 20, 1994
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Michael Allen Chappell
Apr 17, 1995
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Randall Scott Hewitt
Jun 23, 1996
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Frankie Lee Lingard
Dec 31, 1997
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Jacob Ham, Jr.
Feb 8, 1998
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David Travis Bailey
Apr 5, 2000
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Eric Francis Nicholson
Dec 6, 2000
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Michael Joseph Rao
Jun 12, 2002
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Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson
Jul 7, 2002
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Jonathan Wade Parker
May 16, 2005
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James Darryl Haynes, II
Feb 1, 2008
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Jonathan Shea Nash
Sep 19, 2009
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Dana Kevin Cusack
Mar 27, 2010
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Daniel Keith Rebman, Jr.
Oct 24, 2017
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Dennis Ricks
Aug 13, 2025
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 21-E
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Others Who Wore This Badge
51 officers from South Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















