Ben Johnston

Tulsa Police Department — Tulsa, OK

Felonious

End of Watch January 3, 1947

The Vigil Panel 83 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 41

Incident

Detective Johnston and Detective Sylvester Cormack were shot and killed while attempting to arrest two suspects wanted for questioning in the murder of Officer Jerry St. Clair ten days earlier. They were also wanted for the murder of a night watchman in Seneca, Missouri, a day earlier and a hit and run accident in which a man was killed a week earlier in Vincennes, Indiana. The detectives stopped the two suspects on Frisco Avenue but were immediately fired upon. Detective Cormack succumbed to his wounds at the scene and Detective Johnston succumbed to his wounds three months later. One of the suspects was apprehended at the scene and the second was later apprehended in Idaho. On Febuary 3, 1947, both suspects escaped from the Tulsa County Jail. One was captured a short time later. Two hours later the other suspect was shot and killed in a gun battle with three state troopers 40 miles east of Tulsa. The suspect who murdered Officer St. Clair was apprehended in California. He was convicted of first degree murder and executed in the electric chair on November 17, 1949.

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Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Johnston served with the Tulsa Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Tulsa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Johnston.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Tulsa Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Tulsa, Osage County, OK

Platform Identity tpd.tulsa.ok.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 3, 1947

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Ben is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1947, 86 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 74th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

When

January holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Fridays: 14.3%.

By month

By day of the week

III

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded