Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police R. N. Gilbreath succumbed to an accidental gunshot wound when his pistol fell from his holster.
Chief Gilbreath relieved the desk sergeant and went into an empty cell in the city jail to repair a chain that locked down unruly prisoners. The chief’s pistol fell from his holster and discharged. The bullet passed through his left wrist and entered his skull near his nose. He was found lying in the cell by the desk sergeant. He was taken to the hospital and died at 12:11 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 1929. The coroner held an inquest, and his death was held to have been accidental.
Gilbreath had served with the Wink Police Department for 15 months and served as the Chief of Police for one year.
He was buried in the Middleton Chapel Cemetery, Wainwright, Muskogee County, Oklahoma.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-60347669- 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.
Chief of Police Gilbreath gave the Wink Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Wink community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Gilbreath.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Rufus Nicholson Gilbreath 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. Rufus Nicholson Gilbreath's cause is highlighted.
How Rufus Nicholson Gilbreath Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rufus Nicholson Gilbreath is highlighted in Jun.