Roll of Honor
Incident
Location: Oklahoma Incident Date: Friday, February 15, 1918 Weapon: Shotgun Offender: Sentenced to 99 years
Deputy James Coffee succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when he stopped a car he suspected of transporting illegal liquor.
Deputy Coffee and a Fargo, Texas, constable had gone to the Oklahoma side of the Red River at the Webb Crossing to stop and arrest bootleggers reported to be bringing whiskey into Oklahoma from Wichita Falls, Texas. Soon after the officers arrived, a car with curtains drawn stopped to pay the toll. Deputy Coffee drew back the curtain and two men in the car opened fire on the officers. Deputy Coffee was shot in the abdomen with a double-barrel sawed off shotgun and fatally wounded.
The shooter, who was out on bond for the killing of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Undersheriff Grover Fulkerson, was later captured. He confessed to Deputy Coffee's murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. The other men in the car were arrested. The shooter's sentence was later reduced to 12 years. He was released in 1925, arrested by Oklahoma officers, and sent to Mcallister Prison to serve his four years for the murder of Grover Fulkerson.
Deputy Coffee was survived by his wife and five children.
Survivors
Deputy Coffee was survived by his wife and five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-AD3BD873- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Coffee served with the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Vernon community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Coffee.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff James Daniel Coffee 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 Wilbarger County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Daniel Coffee's cause is highlighted.
How James Daniel Coffee Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 99 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Daniel Coffee is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Daniel Coffee was killed by shotgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Wilbarger County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
