Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Van Wells was stabbed to death by a drunken man he was attempting to arrest. He was walking back from Arsenal and South Main Streets when he came across the man lying on the ground and tried to arrest him.
Survivors
Patrolman Wells was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-A21E9913- 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
159 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Wells served with the San Antonio Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the San Antonio community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Van Ness Wells 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At San Antonio Police Dept., 40 of 64 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Van Ness Wells's cause is highlighted.
How Van Ness Wells Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Van Ness Wells is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Van Ness Wells was killed by edged weapon; knife.
Others Who Wore This Badge
63 officers from San Antonio Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
