Thomas J. Fahey
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Thomas J. Fahey

Lake County Sheriff's Office — Leadville, CO
Felonious
End of Watch June 23, 1897
Age 41
The Vigil Panel 14 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Fahey succumbed to a gunshot wound received two days earlier while attempting to arrest two brothers for larceny. During the arrest, Deputy Fahey's gun was knocked from his hand. The wife of a third brother picked it up and handed it to the man, who shot Deputy Fahey. Both brothers were charged with murder. Several weeks later they were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and released. A few days later they were jailed on charges of burglary but released due to a lack of evidence. On May 6, 1899, they were again charged with murder after they shot and killed their father during a dispute.

Survivors

Deputy Fahey was survived by his wife and ten children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-2F26D47C
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

129 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Fahey served with the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Leadville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Location Leadville, CO
Platform Identity lcso.lake.co.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 23, 1897
Age 41
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Officer's handgun
Offender Three suspects arrested

Deputy Sheriff Thomas J. Fahey 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 CO, 235 of 360 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.3% of this state's fallen. That is 11.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Lake County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
CO — Statewide
235
of 360 officers
65.3% 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. Thomas J. Fahey'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 Thomas J. Fahey Compares

Age at End of Watch
41
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Three suspects arrested

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas J. Fahey is highlighted in Jun.

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. Thomas J. Fahey was killed by officer's handgun.

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