Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Oscar Beaver was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest two notorious California train robbers, Chris Evans and John Sontag. The two later shot and killed U.S. Deputy Marshal Vernon Wilson and Deputy Marshal Andrew McGennis the following month when they attempted to arrest the them at Sampsons Flat in Fresno County. A little less than a year later, Sontag was shot and killed and Evans was apprehended after a gun battle with a posse. Evans lost an eye and his right hand in the fight. Chris Evans was convicted of the murder of all three officers and sentenced to life in Folsom Prison. He was paroled in 1912.
Survivors
Deputy Beaver was survived by his wife and 3-year-old son and is buried at Lemore Cemetery in Lemore, California.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-8FF95B96- 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
134 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Beaver served with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Visalia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Oscar A. Beaver 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Tulare County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 16 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 31.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Oscar A. Beaver's cause is highlighted.
How Oscar A. Beaver Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Oscar A. Beaver is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Oscar A. Beaver was killed by shotgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
15 officers from Tulare County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
