Deputy Sheriff John Bowman, Macon County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee

Deputy Sheriff John Bowman

Macon County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee

End of Watch Friday, August 22, 1913

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John Bowman

Deputy Sheriff John Bowman was shot and killed while he and another deputy responded to a disturbance at the entrance to the Macon County Fairgrounds.

As they attempted to arrest a man involved in the disturbance, the man's brother approached and shot Deputy Bowman in the chest and side. He then shot Deputy Bowman in the head after he fell to the ground. The other deputy exchanged shots with the man and was also wounded before he was able to shoot the subject.

The man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. On November 27, 1913, the suspect, a 21-year-old ex-convict, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was overturned, and he was released from prison.

Deputy Bowman was survived by his wife and six children.

Bio

Age 49
Tour Not available
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender Death sentence overturned

convicted felon, disturbance

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Deputy John Bowman is my Great-Grandfather, and although he died many years before I was born, I was fortunate enough to hear a detailed description of the shooting incident when I was a boy from a very old man who was an eyewitness. There were three brothers that were drunk and saying things of a sexual nature to women they would pass-by at the county fair. A girl went and fetched the other officer, and he in turn fetched my Great-Grandpa.

She took them to where the drunks were, and the rest of the story is pretty much the way it is written. One brother did say to the shooter: "Shoot him again, he's not dead yet", and the shooter shot him in the face, just under the eye. I was told this from the old man who had seen and heard it all when he was much younger. This was told to me in about 1970 or so. There was six children left behind, not five. I remember hearing stories from my grandpa about what a hardship it was on the family after he was killed. Back then, there was no survivor's payout like today, they just "passed the hat" and that was it.

And the shooter was sentenced to death, but it turned out his family was wealthy and had connections, so his death sentence was later overturned, and he was freed after serving only a few years. I used to know his name, but over the years I have forgotten it. Justice for ALL fallen officers, whether it was yesterday or over a hundred years ago. NO PAROLE OR PARDONS FOR THE GULTY. HANG THEM THE NEXT DAY AFTER THEY ARE CONVICTED!

Greg Bowman
Great-Grandson

November 4, 2025