Roll of Honor
Incident
Guard Early Darby succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when his pistol fell from its holster and discharged in Azle, Texas
He was supervising a work crew of county inmates on the Azle Road. He had just gotten off of the water truck and was removing his coat when the accident occurred. The round struck him in the abdomen, causing a serious wound. He was transported to City and County Hospital where he succumbed to the wound the following day.
Guard Darby was survived by his parents and three brothers.
Survivors
Guard Darby was survived by his parents and three brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-5162581B- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Guard Darby served with the Tarrant County Convict Camp.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Worth community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard Darby.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Guard Earl W. Darby 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 TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Earl W. Darby's cause is highlighted.
How Earl W. Darby Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Earl W. Darby is highlighted in Jul.