Patrolman John Tillman Hussey

Patrolman John Tillman Hussey | Springdale Police Department, Arkansas
Springdale Police Department, Arkansas
Patrolman John Tillman Hussey

Springdale Police Department, Arkansas

End of Watch Sunday, December 21, 1975

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John Tillman Hussey

Patrolman John Hussey was shot and killed after being abducted by two men during a traffic stop. They handcuffed him to a nearby tree and shot him with his own service revolver three times .

The 39-year-old shooter was apprehended on May 9, 1977, by two FBI agents in Denver, Colorado. He had been placed on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List a few weeks after he murdered Patrolman Hussey. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. He escaped from prison on May 9, 1988 but was later recaptured on September 6, 1988, after being profiled on the television show "America's Most Wanted." A tip led to his capture at a homeless shelter in Austin, Texas. He was found asleep on a cot with a sawed-off shotgun by his side. He died in prison in 1995.

The other 30-year-old suspect was apprehended in Conrad, Montana, on June 8, 1978, by Pondera County deputies and FBI agents. He was returned to Arkansas, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life. He died in prison in 2019.

Patrolman Hussey had only served with the Springdale Police Department for six weeks. He was survived by his wife.

Bio

  • Age 22
  • Tour 1 month
  • Badge 310

Incident Details

  • Cause Gunfire
  • Weapon Officer's handgun
  • Offender Sentenced to life

abducted, convicted felon, traffic stop

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At the time of Officer Hussey's murder, I was in college at U of A and working at Springdale Airport, running the UNICOM (air-ground communication at small airports without a tower); parking and fueling aircraft; assisting mechanics, etc. Our little airport was made into a makeshift base for Civil Air Patrol and others who were searching for Officer John Hussey. (As I recall, his distraught wife was present with us there at the airport for a period.) I remember the horrifying news when his body was found near Lake Wedington, in the very place where I often hiked and collected wildflowers and ferns for my shade garden. (I have never been back there since.) I'm glad that the filthy murderous animals who took that brave officer's life never saw the light of freedom again, although I would've preferred that they were executed.

Philip Thompson
(none)

December 22, 2025

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