Deputy Sheriff Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

Deputy Sheriff Tom Johnson was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a murder suspect wanted for killing a man while robbing a store in Red Rock a day earlier.

The Pawnee County Sheriff, Deputy Johnson, and another deputy went to a home near Pawnee where a Noble County Deputy Sheriff had located the suspect. As they approached, the suspect opened fire, killing Deputy Johnson instantly. As the other officers emptied their guns the suspect fled from the home and escaped.

The suspect, a notorious outlaw, who had escaped from the Kansas State Penitentiary in November of 1900, fled to Missouri where he changed his name and led a quiet life working for a farmer for seven years. In November of 1908 he was sentenced to four years in the Missouri State Penitentiary for stealing a horse. A few months later his true identity was discovered when another inmate recognized him and told prison officials.

The suspect was returned to Oklahoma where he was sentenced to life in prison January 29, 1912, for the murder of the man he killed while robbing the store in Red Rock. He died in prison September 19, 1950.