Earl W. Darby
Agency patch
Guard

Earl W. Darby

Tarrant County Convict Camp — Fort Worth, TX
Accident
End of Watch July 1, 1921
Age 20
The Vigil Panel 41 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Guard Early Darby succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when his pistol fell from its holster and discharged in Azle, Texas

He was supervising a work crew of county inmates on the Azle Road. He had just gotten off of the water truck and was removing his coat when the accident occurred. The round struck him in the abdomen, causing a serious wound. He was transported to City and County Hospital where he succumbed to the wound the following day.

Guard Darby was survived by his parents and three brothers.

Survivors

Guard Darby was survived by his parents and three brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-5162581B
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.
Guard Darby served with the Tarrant County Convict Camp.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Worth community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard Darby.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Fort Worth, TX
Platform Identity tccc.tarrant.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 1, 1921
Age 20
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Gunfire (Inadvertent)

Guard Earl W. Darby is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Tarrant County Convict Camp
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Earl W. Darby's cause is highlighted.

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

How Earl W. Darby Compares

Age at Death
20
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Earl W. Darby is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Tarrant County Convict Camp are honored on badge.nw.