Carl Oscar Johnson
Agency patch
Special Deputy

Carl Oscar Johnson

Felonious
End of Watch September 30, 1951
Age 53
Tour of Duty 4 mo
The Vigil Panel 87 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Deputy Johnson succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two months earlier while attempting to arrest a man who had stolen a car. The suspect shot Special Deputy Johnson in the shoulder with a .22 caliber rifle. The suspect was shot and wounded by a citizen and taken into custody.

Special Deputy Johnson was initially taken to Porterville Hospital, but was later transferred to a San Francisco hospital for treatment to an injured nerve as a result of the gunshot wound. He underwent surgery to remove the bullet and to try to repair his arm, but died the day following the surgery.

Special Deputy Johnson had only been sworn in as a deputy two months prior to the shooting.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two step sons, a brother, and a sister.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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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.
Special Deputy Johnson served with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Visalia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Deputy Johnson.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Visalia, Tulare County, CA
Platform Identity tcso.tulare.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 30, 1951
Tour of Duty 4 mo
Age 53
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle; .22 caliber

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Carl 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.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1951, 65 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 113th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Carl was 53. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Carl had served 0.3 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

September holds 9.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was rifle; .22 caliber, in 0.1% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Tulare County Sheriff's Office has 16 officers remembered here, Carl among them.

Special Deputy Carl Oscar Johnson

Tulare County Sheriff's Office · End of Watch September 30, 1951

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 55-W

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