Wesley Sanford Fannin
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Wesley Sanford Fannin

Floyd County Sheriff's Office — Prestonsburg, KY
Felonious
End of Watch August 1, 1961
Age 38
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
The Vigil Panel 96 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Wesley Fannin succumbed to wounds sustained six days earlier when he was shot five times while attempting to serve a peace warrant.

He attempted to serve the warrant when he encountered the man on the Bull Creek Bridge near Prestonsburg.

Deputy Fannin was transported to a hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, where he died on August 1st, 1961. The man, a 50-year-old transient, who shot him was arrested by a posse and charged with murder.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-B96623BD
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 Sheriff Fannin gave the Floyd County Sheriff's Office 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Prestonsburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Fannin.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Prestonsburg, Floyd County, KY
Platform Identity fcso.floyd.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 1, 1961
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Deputy Sheriff Wesley Sanford Fannin 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 76.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Floyd County Sheriff's Office, 11 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 91.7% of this agency's fallen.

Floyd County Sheriff's Office
11
of 12 officers
91.7% Felonious
KY — Statewide
755
of 983 officers
76.8% 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. Wesley Sanford Fannin's cause is highlighted.

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

How Wesley Sanford Fannin Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
11
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Wesley Sanford Fannin is highlighted in Aug.

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.

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

Incident Location