Sergeant

Delbert Timberlake

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch October 11, 1918
Age 34
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 35 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Timberlake was shot and killed as he and several other lawman attempted to arrest a well known smuggler who was believed to have murdered Private Joe Shaw, also of the Texas Rangers, four months earlier.

The rangers, deputies, and Customs inspectors had setup an ambush for the suspect on a path at Tomate Bend on the Rio Grande River in Brownsville, Texas. When the officers observed a man on the path, they ordered him to surrender. The suspect spun around and immediately opened fire, and struck Sergeant Timberlake. The other lawmen returned fire, hit the suspect five times, and killed him.

Sergeant Timberlake was rushed to a hospital in Brownsville where he died the following morning.

Sergeant Timberlake had served in law enforcement for 6 years. During the time, he had served as a deputy sheriff for Galveston County, marshal of Del Rio, policeman in Laredo, and as a ranger for Company A, Company F, and Company I. He was assigned to Company I at the time of his murder.

Survivors

He was survived by his father.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Timberlake gave the Texas Rangers 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Timberlake.

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

Agency

Department Texas Rangers
Type Other
Location Austin, Travis County, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 11, 1918
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Delbert is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1918, 165 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 19th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Delbert was 34. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Delbert had served 6 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

October holds 7.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Fridays: 14.3%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun; unknown type, in 9.5% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Texas Rangers has at least 120 officers remembered here, Delbert among them.

Across the years

Sergeant Delbert Timberlake

Texas Rangers · End of Watch October 11, 1918

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 51-W

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