End of Watch December 17, 1886
Age 34
The Vigil Panel 9 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Frank West was shot and killed by an intoxicated man at a dance near the Canadian River. The man had approached Officer West and accused him of killing his horse. He then pulled out a handgun and shot Deputy West in the neck. Officer West was able to return fire, fatally wounding the suspect. The suspect's wife was Belle Starr, who who an accomplice of the Younger Gang. The Younger Gang was involved in the deaths of Deputy Charles Nichols and Deputy James McMahan of the Dallas County Texas Sheriff's Department in 1871 and Deputy Edwin Daniels of the St. Clair County Missouri Sheriff's Department in 1874. A relative of the suspect killed United States Deputy Marshal Floyd Wilson in 1892. Officer West was survived by a wife and two children. He is buried in McClure Cemetery in Briartown, Oklahoma.

Survivors

Officer West was survived by a wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-5F151BAA
Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

140 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer West served with the United States Department of the Interior.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdibiaojsfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 17, 1886
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Shot and killed

Police Officer Frank West 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 DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services, 45 of 52 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 86.5% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services
45
of 52 officers
86.5% Felonious
DC — Statewide
754
of 1,419 officers
53.1% 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. Frank West'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 Frank West Compares

Age at End of Watch
34
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Shot and killed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Frank West is highlighted in Dec.

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. Frank West was killed by gun; unknown type.

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