Robert T. Blassingame
Agency patch
City Marshal

Robert T. Blassingame

Wister Police Department — Wister, OK
Felonious
End of Watch July 3, 1928
Age 57
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
The Vigil Panel 55 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Robert Blassingame succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained three weeks earlier when he was attached on a railroad platform.

Two men approached him and asked him what time a train was due to arrive. One of the men then grabbed him from behind and produced a handgun. Marshal Blassingame was able to break free and pulled his own gun, but was shot in the stomach. Marshal Blassingame managed to shoot and kill one of the suspects. The other suspect, now age 21, was discovered in the Utah State Penitentiary on September 29, 1931, where he was serving an indeterminate sentence for grand larceny. Three weeks earlier he helped lead a prison riot resulting in three inmates being shot. He was to be extradited back to Oklahoma and charged with Marshal Blassinggame's murder. On November 24, 1932, the suspect was denied termination of his sentence at the Utah Penitentiary. There is no record of him being returned to Oklahoma.

Marshal Blassingame had served with the agency for 9 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-9689E26A
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.
City Marshal Blassingame gave the Wister Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wister community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, City Marshal Blassingame.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Wister, LeFlore County, OK
Platform Identity wpd.leflore.ok.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 3, 1928
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 57
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

City Marshal Robert T. Blassingame 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 OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 69.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Wister Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Wister Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
OK — Statewide
403
of 582 officers
69.2% 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. Robert T. Blassingame's cause is highlighted.

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

How Robert T. Blassingame Compares

Age at Death
57
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert T. Blassingame is highlighted in Jul.

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. Robert T. Blassingame was killed by handgun.

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

1 officer from Wister Police Department are honored on badge.nw.