Thomas Kane Wooten

Graham County Sheriff's Office — Safford, AZ

Felonious

End of Watch February 9, 1918

Age 36

The Vigil Panel 33 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Undersheriff Kempton, Deputy Sheriff Kane Wooten, and Sheriff Robert McBride were shot and killed as they approached a cabin where they intended to arrest two brothers and another man for draft evasion. During the exchange of gunfire, one suspect was also killed at the scene. A month later three suspects were captured by a U.S. Cavalry Patrol near Hachita, New Mexico. Three of the suspects, two of them brothers, were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Two were paroled in 1960 and pardoned in 1969; the third suspect died in prison on January 24, 1957, at the age of 86. At that time he was Arizona's oldest prisoner. A fourth suspect was killed at the scene.

Survivors

Deputy Sheriff Wooten was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AZ-88D20A33
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.
Deputy Sheriff Wooten served with the Graham County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Safford community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Wooten.

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

Agency

Department Graham County Sheriff's Office

Location Safford, AZ

Platform Identity gcso.graham.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 9, 1918

Age 36

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Offender Sentenced to life

Deputy Sheriff Thomas Kane Wooten 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 Graham County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Graham County Sheriff's Office

of 5 officers

100% Felonious

AZ — Statewide

204

of 330 officers

61.8% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious