D. Tom Smith
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

D. Tom Smith

Felonious
End of Watch December 8, 1883
The Vigil Panel 7 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Smith was shot and killed when he intervened in a robbery at a mercantile store in Bisbee. Five suspects arrived at the store. Two of them entered and three of them stayed outside and began firing their weapons to keep people away from the store. Three civilians were shot and killed as a result. Deputy Smith, hearing the shots, approached the scene and told the suspects he was a peace officer, but he was also shot and killed. The five suspects escaped but were eventually apprehended and hanged for the murder. A sixth man, who was determined to be an insider on the posse that was sent to arrest them, was also arrested but hanged by a mob before he could be tried.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-57CDCD2E
Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

143 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Smith served with the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Bisbee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Bisbee, Cochise County, AZ
Platform Identity ccso.cochise.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 8, 1883
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Deputy Sheriff D. Tom Smith 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 AZ, 204 of 330 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.8% of this state's fallen. That is 61.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Cochise County Sheriff's Department, 14 of 15 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 93.3% of this agency's fallen.

Cochise County Sheriff's Department
14
of 15 officers
93.3% Felonious
AZ — Statewide
204
of 330 officers
61.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. D. Tom Smith's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How D. Tom Smith Compares

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. D. Tom Smith is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. D. Tom Smith was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909