Tenney Gatewood, Jr.
Agency patch
Officer

Tenney Gatewood, Jr.

Felonious
End of Watch December 9, 1999
Age 38
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
The Vigil Panel 146 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Tenney Gatewood was shot and killed while struggling with two suspects, a father and son, whom he had stopped on Upper Log Road near Hawley Lake.

He had responded to a burglary call of a store on the White Mountain Apache Tribe reservation in Arizona when he stopped a vehicle he believed the suspects occupied. As Officer Gatewood spoke to the father the son exited the vehicle and forced him to the ground. The father then shot him in the head.

The subjects then fled into the woods where they were arrested approximately eight hours later. Both were convicted of crimes in connection with Officer Gatewood's murder. The son was sentenced to nine years in prison and the father was sentenced to 42 years in prison.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-WMA-TR-C6A49BEB
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Gatewood gave the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Whiteriver community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Gatewood.

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

Agency

Location Whiteriver, AZ
Platform Identity wmatpd.nn.tribal.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 9, 1999
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Officer Tenney Gatewood, Jr. 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 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 7.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department
3
of 3 officers
100% Felonious
AZ — Statewide
204
of 330 officers
61.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Tenney Gatewood, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Tenney Gatewood, Jr. Compares

Age at End of Watch
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Tenney Gatewood, Jr. is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department are honored on badge.nw.