Police Officer John Louis Briscoe

John Louis Briscoe

Officer John Briscoe was shot and killed while escorting two transients to jail.

Officer Briscoe was working foot patrol in the downtown area when he received numerous complaints regarding a pair of panhandlers who were going from bar to bar harassing customers for drinks. When Officer Briscoe caught up with the pair they had been kicked out of the 49er Saloon across from the Police Station on El Dorado Street. He arrested the pair and escorted them across to the station. As they reached the steps to the Police Station one of the panhandlers broke away from Officer Briscoe's grasp and turned to face the officer with a revolver from his pocket and fired one shot into Officer Briscoe's chest. The pair ran as the officer staggered after them, firing three shots that missed the shooter.

Officer Briscoe had been with the Stockton Police Department for five years and was survived by his wife and four sons.