Roll of Honor
Incident
Posse Member Tom Mandarich was shot and killed in the Andy tunnels of the Utah-Apex mine while trying to apprehend a murder suspect. The suspect had killed a man outside a dance hall in Bingham. When officers attempted to arrest him, he ambushed Deputy Sheriff Nephi Jensen, Deputy Sheriff Otto Witbeck, and Chief of Police J.W. Grant of the Bingham City Police Department on November 21, 1913, in Sarasota Springs. Deputies, posse members, and local law enforcement officers converged on the Utah Apex mine in Bingham. Around 2:15 p.m., when Deputy Sheriff Douglas Hulsey lit a match in an attempt to smoke out the suspect, the suspect fired. Posse Member Mandarich and Deputy Hulsey were mortally wounded. The suspect escaped the mine and was shot and killed in 1921. Posse Member Mandarich had joined the search for the suspect as a posse member. Survivors include his wife and two young children. From November 13, 1913 to November 29, 1913, Deputy Sheriff Nephi Jensen, Deputy Sheriff George Otto Witbeck, Deputy Sheriff Vaso Thomas Mandarich, Deputy Sheriff James Douglas Hulsey, and Chief of Police John William "Billy" Grant, of the Bingham City Police Department, were shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a murder suspect. Please click here to read more about the Bingham, Utah, shooting and view all the law enforcement officers killed.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife and two young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-UT-B7DE1409- 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.
Posse Member Mandarich served with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Salt Lake City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Posse Member Mandarich.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Posse Member Vaso Mandarich 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 UT, 84 of 138 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.9% of this state's fallen. That is 60.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, 7 of 10 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Vaso Mandarich's cause is highlighted.
How Vaso Mandarich Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Vaso Mandarich is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Vaso Mandarich was killed by rifle.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
9 officers from Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
