Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff James Mastin was shot and killed when he and a deputy went a farm near Stephenville to arrest a horse thief.
After searching the house the officers went back outside. The suspect suddenly stepped from behind a tree and opened fire on the officers, mortally wounding Sheriff Mastin. The deputy returned fire, wounding the man, who then escaped. A posse of Texas Rangers located the man on September 15th, 1877, and killed him in a shootout.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-1A27CDD1- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- September 9, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
149 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Mastin gave the Erath County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Stephenville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff James Mastin 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 97,784 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Erath County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Mastin's cause is highlighted.
How James Mastin Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Mastin is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Mastin was killed by gun; unknown type.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Erath County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
