Andres Chavez

Valencia County Sheriff's Office — Los Lunas, NM

Felonious

End of Watch January 7, 1934

Age 37

The Vigil Panel 67 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 6

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Andres Chavez succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous night while attempting to break up a fight outside of a dance hall in Jarales.

Several men, who were also sheriff's deputies, had been involved in a disturbance inside of the dance hall and went outside. Deputy Chavez followed in an attempt to keep the men from fighting when someone fired a pistol. Deputy Chavez was shot wounded and died in the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital in Belen the following day.

Four men, all deputy sheriffs, were charged with his murder an released in lieu of a $5,000 bond. On March 16, 1934, three of the four, now former deputies, were found guilty of second degree murder. The fourth was acquitted. On December 4, 1934, a retrial ended with a hung jury. No record of a third trial.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NM-91952144
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: 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.
Deputy Sheriff Chavez served with the Valencia County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Los Lunas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Chavez.

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

Agency

Department Valencia County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Los Lunas, Valencia County, NM

Platform Identity vcso.valencia.nm.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 7, 1934

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Deputy Sheriff Andres Chavez is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In NM, 123 of 193 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.7% of this state's fallen. That is 63.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Valencia County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 71.4% of this agency's fallen.

Valencia County Sheriff's Office

of 7 officers

71.4% Felonious

NM — Statewide

123

of 193 officers

63.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious