Mitchell Leroy Smith
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Mitchell Leroy Smith

Felonious
End of Watch September 13, 1946
Age 49
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
The Vigil Panel 82 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Smith was killed when his police motorcycle was intentionally rammed by a vehicle. He was attempting to stop the vehicle for speeding when it started to bump his motorcycle and caused him to crash. The 25-year-old driver was charged with manslaughter. Deputy Smith had served with the agency for 7 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-D7378292
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 Smith gave the Gila County Sheriff's Office 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Globe community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Smith.

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

Agency

Location Globe, AZ
Platform Identity gcso.gila.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 13, 1946
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
Age 49
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Automobile
Offender Not available

Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Leroy Smith 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 Gila County Sheriff's Office, 6 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Gila County Sheriff's Office
6
of 8 officers
75% Felonious
AZ — Statewide
204
of 330 officers
61.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Mitchell Leroy Smith's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Mitchell Leroy Smith Compares

Age at End of Watch
49
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
7
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Not available

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Mitchell Leroy Smith is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Mitchell Leroy Smith was killed by automobile.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518