Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Frank Metzel was shot and killed while intervening in a bank robbery. He had received information that a robbery was going to take place and he, several deputies, and a posse surrounded the bank. They exchanged shots with the suspects as the men attempted to leave the bank. One of the posse members accidentally shot Sheriff Metzel when he mistook him for a robber. Two of the suspects escaped but the third was arrested inside of the bank. Sheriff Metzel was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried in Nevada City Cemetery in Virginia City.
Survivors
Sheriff Metzel was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MT-D1060606- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sheriff Metzel served with the Madison County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Virginia City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Metzel.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Frank S. Metzel is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MT, 34 of 142 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Madison County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank S. Metzel's cause is highlighted.
How Frank S. Metzel Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frank S. Metzel is highlighted in Oct.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Madison County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
