Thomas I. Woods
Agency patch
Deputy

Thomas I. Woods

Felonious
End of Watch December 21, 1922
Age 38
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
The Vigil Panel 44 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Thomas Woods was shot and killed in a gunfight between deputies and three suspects running a whiskey still in Rowlett Creek.

One suspect was sentenced to 40 years. He later shot and killed Deputy Willis Champion during an attempted jailbreak. He was executed for the murders.

Deputy Woods had served with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department for 10 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-240EFB6B
Stewardship
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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 Woods gave the Dallas County Sheriff's Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Woods.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Dallas, Dallas County, TX
Platform Identity dcso.dallas.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 21, 1922
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Deputy Thomas I. Woods 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Dallas County Sheriff's Department, 14 of 20 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70% of this agency's fallen.

Dallas County Sheriff's Department
14
of 20 officers
70% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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. Thomas I. Woods's cause is highlighted.

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

How Thomas I. Woods Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
10
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas I. Woods is highlighted in Dec.

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. Thomas I. Woods was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909