William A. Bergin
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William A. Bergin

Felonious
End of Watch June 27, 1882
Age 31
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 7 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Bergin was shot and killed by a mob while he was attempting to protect a prisoner.

The mob wanted to hang the prisoner for murdering local citizens. The mob hung the prisoner after shooting Deputy Bergin.

Deputy Bergin had served with the Colfax County Sheriff's Office for six years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NM-53A3B2A3
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

144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Bergin gave the Colfax County Sheriff's Office 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Raton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Raton, Colfax County, NM
Platform Identity ccso.colfax.nm.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 27, 1882
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 31
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Deputy Sheriff William A. Bergin 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 NM, 123 of 193 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.7% of this state's fallen. That is 63.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Colfax County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Colfax County Sheriff's Office
1
of 3 officers
33.3% Felonious
NM — Statewide
123
of 193 officers
63.7% 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. William A. Bergin's cause is highlighted.

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

How William A. Bergin Compares

Age at Death
31
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William A. Bergin is highlighted in Jun.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Colfax County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.