Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Ed Smith was shot and killed by a man who had escaped from the Pinal County Jail the day before. Deputy Smith had gone to the Joe Lewis Heights area in Eloy to look for a subject who had escaped the day before. As he reached the door of the Dandy Tavern, the subject fired a shotgun from the roof, hitting Smith in the face and knocking him down. A second shot hit Smith in the chest, and he died before help arrived. The suspect and a companion, 20, were charged with murder. His companion gave him the shotgun and helped him get on the roof. The subjects were convicted and received a life sentence. On August 30, 1957, the subject escaped from prison but was captured. His companion was paroled in September of 1970. In April of 1971, he kidnapped a 19-year-old girl in Phoenix. The girl was standing next to the street in front of a post office on Buckeye Road when the suspect attacked her and dragged her into his car. A policeman driving by saw the girl struggling to get out of the car and arrested the suspect. The girl would not press charges, and the suspect was released. On September 14, 1978, he was stabbed to death in Phoenix. As of April 1971, the killer was still in prison. Deputy Smith was an Eloy Justice of the Peace before moving to Oregon, where he served as a deputy sheriff. He had only served with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office for only a month.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-CD8B7459- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Smith gave the Pinal County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Florence community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff James Edward 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 Pinal County Sheriff's Office, 12 of 14 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Edward Smith's cause is highlighted.
How James Edward Smith Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Edward Smith is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Edward Smith was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
13 officers from Pinal County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
