James Delmar Ellis
Agency patch
Night Watchman

James Delmar Ellis

Brighton Police Department — Brighton, CO
Felonious
End of Watch March 6, 1908
Age 26
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 22 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Night Watchman Ellis was shot and killed when he interrupted a burglary at the local post office. He was shot by one of the suspects who was hiding behind a barrel. Despite being mortally wounded, Watchman Ellis returned fire as the suspects fled.

Night Watchman Ellis had served with the Brighton Police Department for only 2 weeks.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-A5194D0D
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.
Night Watchman Ellis served with the Brighton Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Brighton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Night Watchman Ellis.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Brighton, Adams County, CO
Platform Identity bpd.adams.co.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 6, 1908
Tour of Duty
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Night Watchman James Delmar Ellis 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 CO, 235 of 360 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.3% of this state's fallen. That is 65.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Brighton Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
CO — Statewide
235
of 360 officers
65.3% 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. James Delmar Ellis's cause is highlighted.

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

How James Delmar Ellis Compares

Age at Death
26
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Delmar Ellis is highlighted in Mar.

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.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Brighton Police Department are honored on badge.nw.