Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Lew Wallace was shot and killed by a posseman after being mistaken for an armed subject.
A posse had been formed to search for a man who had stolen a car in Meeker. The posse had pursued the suspect into some heavy underbrush. As members of the posse followed the subject into the underbrush, Sheriff Wallace attempted to flank him by going around the area.
As the posse came through the underbrush, one of the men saw Sheriff Wallace and, believing he was the subject reaching for a gun, shot him in the chest with a shotgun.
Sheriff Wallace was transported to a hospital, where he remained for three days until succumbing to the wound. Before passing away, the sheriff pleaded that the posseman not be charged in connection with his death.
Sheriff Wallace was a United States Army World War I veteran and served as Sheriff of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office for four years and seven months.
He is buried in New Hope Cemetery in Meeker, Oklahoma.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-85C0A533- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sheriff Wallace gave the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chandler community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Lewis Palmer "Lew" Wallace served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sheriff Lewis Palmer "Lew" Wallace 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 OK, 135 of 582 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this state's fallen. That is 7.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Lincoln 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. Lewis Palmer "Lew" Wallace's cause is highlighted.
How Lewis Palmer "Lew" Wallace Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lewis Palmer "Lew" Wallace is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Lincoln County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
