Roll of Honor
Incident
Undersheriff Marion Sanders was accidentally shot and killed when his revolver fell from its holster and discharged.
He and a sheriff's deputy were waiting to intercept a shipment of illegal liquor that was en route from Teller County when their car's battery began malfunctioning. They took the car to a service station in Manitou Springs to have the battery checked.
As Undersheriff Sanders attempted to crank the car's engine, his revolver fell to the ground. The discharged round struck him in the stomach, causing a fatal wound.
Undersheriff Sanders had served with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office for one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-168D3BA3- 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
You barely got started.
Undersheriff Sanders gave the El Paso County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Colorado Springs community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Undersheriff Sanders.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Undersheriff Marion E. Sanders is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CO, 101 of 360 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At El Paso County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Marion E. Sanders's cause is highlighted.
How Marion E. Sanders Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Marion E. Sanders is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from El Paso County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
