Vaso "Thomas" Mandarich

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office — Salt Lake City, UT

Felonious

End of Watch November 29, 1913

Age 29

Tour of Duty

The Vigil Panel 28 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 9

Incident

Posse Member Tom Mandarich was shot and killed in the Andy tunnels of the Utah-Apex mine while trying to apprehend a murder suspect. The suspect had killed a man outside a dance hall in Bingham. When officers attempted to arrest him, he ambushed Deputy Sheriff Nephi Jensen, Deputy Sheriff Otto Witbeck, and Chief of Police J.W. Grant of the Bingham City Police Department on November 21, 1913, in Sarasota Springs. Deputies, posse members, and local law enforcement officers converged on the Utah Apex mine in Bingham. Around 2:15 p.m., when Deputy Sheriff Douglas Hulsey lit a match in an attempt to smoke out the suspect, the suspect fired. Posse Member Mandarich and Deputy Hulsey were mortally wounded. The suspect escaped the mine and was shot and killed in 1921. Posse Member Mandarich had joined the search for the suspect as a posse member. Survivors include his wife and two young children. From November 13, 1913 to November 29, 1913, Deputy Sheriff Nephi Jensen, Deputy Sheriff George Otto Witbeck, Deputy Sheriff Vaso Thomas Mandarich, Deputy Sheriff James Douglas Hulsey, and Chief of Police John William "Billy" Grant, of the Bingham City Police Department, were shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a murder suspect. Please click here to read more about the Bingham, Utah, shooting and view all the law enforcement officers killed.

Survivors

Survivors include his wife and two young children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-UT-B7DE1409
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.
Posse Member Mandarich served with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Salt Lake City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Posse Member Mandarich.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office

Location Salt Lake City, UT

Platform Identity slcso.saltlake.ut.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 29, 1913

Tour of Duty

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Offender Shot and killed in 1921

Posse Member Vaso "Thomas" Mandarich 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 UT, 84 of 138 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.9% of this state's fallen. That is 6.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, 7 of 10 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70% of this agency's fallen.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office

of 10 officers

70% Felonious

UT — Statewide

of 138 officers

60.9% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious