Roll of Honor
Sam Sixkiller
Incident
Deputy Marshal Sam Sixkiller was shot and killed when he was ambushed while off-duty and unarmed. Deputy Marshal Sixkiller was under the weather and was picking up medicine in Muskogee when two criminals ambushed him. He was stepping up on the platform on the north side of the Patterson Mercantile Store when the two fired on him with a shotgun and pistol, without notice; supposedly, they held a grudge for a previous run-in they had with the lawman. Deputy Marshal Sixkiller fell to the ground mortally wounded, and the criminals made good their escape on fast ponies. One of the suspects was later shot and killed. On February 12, 1880, Deputy Marshal Sixkiller became the first captain of the United States Indian Police headquartered at Muskogee, Indian Territory. As Captain, Sixkiller had forty men under his command. Besides this position, Deputy Marshal Sixkiller also held a commission as a deputy U.S. marshal and a special agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Deputy Marshal Sixkiller's duties included policing the streets of Muskogee, one of the most dangerous towns in the "Wild West." There were more lawmen killed in a fifty-mile radius of Muskogee than anywhere west of the Mississippi River during the frontier era. Deputy Marshal Sixkiller had previously served with both the Union and Confederate Armies during the Civil War.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-D75DD53A- 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
140 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Sixkiller gave the United States Department of Justice 6 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Sixkiller is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 251 of 313 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sam Sixkiller's cause is highlighted.
How Sam Sixkiller Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Sam Sixkiller is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Sam Sixkiller was killed by shotgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
312 officers from United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
