Nicholas Peter Damett

Sumner County Sheriff's Office — Wellington, KS

Felonious

End of Watch November 20, 1920

Age 48

Tour of Duty 11 yrs

The Vigil Panel 40 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Deputy Nicholas Damett was shot and killed as he and the night watchman attempted to arrest two brothers at approximately 1840 hours. Deputy Damett suspected the two brothers of possessing stolen property and approached them near Main Street and told the two to stop. The two turned around and one of them opened fire with a revolver, killing Deputy Damett instantly.

Both suspects fled the scene. One suspect was apprehended the next day, jailed for murder but released the following May when the murder charge against him was dismissed. On September 6, 1921, the brother who shot Deputy Damett, age 31, was arrested in El Dorado, Kansas, after a lengthy gun battle with El Dorado officers. His brother was rearrested in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and brought back to Oxford where he was expected to testify against his brother. On October 7, 1921, Deputy Damett's murderer and another prisoner escaped from the county jail at Wellington. On January 20, 1922, he was captured without incident in Wiggins, Colorado. On January 29, 1922, he pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 5 to 21 years. On December 10, 1923, he escaped from the Kansas Penitentiary at Lansing along with three other inmates. One of the other three was serving a 40 year sentence for the murder of Special Agent Will C. Reed of the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Police Railway Police, on July 4, 1920. Deputy Damett's murderer and another inmate were captured two days later on a farm near Lansing by the owner of the farm. He was returned to the penitentiary and paroled in 1929.

Deputy Damett had served with the sheriff's department for 11 years and also served as a county constable.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

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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 Damett gave the Sumner County Sheriff's Office 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wellington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Damett.

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

Agency

Department Sumner County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Wellington, Sumner County, KS

Platform Identity scso.sumner.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 20, 1920

Tour of Duty 11 yrs

Age 48

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun; .38 caliber

Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Peter Damett 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 KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Sumner County Sheriff's Office, 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Sumner County Sheriff's Office

of 4 officers

100% Felonious

KS — Statewide

237

of 335 officers

70.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious