Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Kent Kearney was shot and killed as he and other officers attempted to arrest three suspects in connection with the disappearance and murders of two men in 1896. Sheriff Kearney spotted two of the suspects hiding on a roof. As he climbed a ladder to the roof he was shot by one of the suspects. The group of officers retreated and the suspects were never arrested for the murder of Sheriff Kearney. All three did surrender to the sheriff's office to face trial in the disappearance of the two men in 1896. They were acquitted of that crime and were not tried for the murder of Sheriff Kearney. One suspect later became a senator in the New Mexico State Senate and died in 1941; another suspect died in 1946. A third suspect, the man who murdered the two men in 1896 was also the leader of a gang that murdered two officers in New Mexico the following year. Posseman Henry Love, of the Colfax County, New Mexico, Sheriff's Department, and Sheriff Edward Farr, of the Huerfano County, Colorado, Sheriff's Department, were both killed as the result of a shootout on July 16, 1899. The leader of the gang, notorious outlaw Thomas E. "Black Jack" Ketchum, was arrested following the shootout and executed on April 26, 1901, as he was also suspected of being associated with the Butch Cassidy gang who killed at least eleven law Officers.
Survivors
Deputy Kearney was survived by his two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NM-B9B3BA87- 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
128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Kearney served with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Las Cruces community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Kent Kearney 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 NM, 123 of 193 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.7% of this state's fallen. That is 9.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, 6 of 10 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kent Kearney's cause is highlighted.
How Kent Kearney Compares
Offender Outcome
Deceased
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Kent Kearney is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Kent Kearney was killed by rifle.
Others Who Wore This Badge
9 officers from Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
