Don A. Beckstead

Officer Don Beckstead succumbed to gunshot wounds he received after stopping a suspect who had just shot and killed Officer James Keeton minutes earlier on February 5, 1971. Officer Keeton had stopped the man for a traffic violation on I-40, just prior to the New Mexico border, and a struggle ensued. The suspect gained control of Officer Keeton's weapon and shot him with it. It is believed that Officer Beckstead did not know that the man had just shot and killed Officer Keeton when he stopped the suspect a second time. Officer Beckstead was transported to McKinley General Hospital in Gallup, New Mexico, where he was stabilized. While en route to Albuquerque for more treatment, he passed away. The man was wanted for raping and murdering a young girl in California. After shooting both officers, the man murdered another citizen before being shot and killed by New Mexico State Police officers. Officer Beckstead was a United States Navy veteran who had served with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for three years and previously served with the Phoenix Police Department.