Special Agent Charles F. Stevens
United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
U.S. Government
End of Watch: Wednesday, September 25, 1929

Biographical Info
Age: 60
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Wednesday, September 25, 1929
Incident Location: Texas
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Not available

Prohibition Agents Charles F. Stevens, Pat Murphy and R.H. Hirzel were returning to San Antonio from a raid in Atascosa County when they were ambushed. Stevens and Murphy had two prisoners and were being followed by Hirzel with another man in vehicle. They stopped when they saw a woman sitting on the running board of a car waiving a flashlight toward the embankment and culvert on the side of the road. She claimed her husband had run off the road, but the agents were suspicious and arrested the female. As Stevens and Murphy got out of their vehicle to investigate, shots rang out. Murphy heard Stevens yell, “Pat, they got me.” Stevens continued firing after he was struck in the chest by a rifle bullet. After the assailant’s ammunition was exhausted, they fled the scene, with several seeking medial attention for gunshot wounds. Seven people were charged with the murder, one of whom died from his wounds shortly thereafter.

Stevens began his long and respected law enforcement career at the age of 18, with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, as a Jailer under his father, Sheriff Edward A. Stevens. At the age of 23, Stevens was elected and served three terms as a Bexar County Constable. He was appointed as a deputy sheriff in 1898. In 1908, he ran for Sheriff, but was defeated. He was later appointed as Chief Deputy. In 1910, he was appointed as a Texas Ranger Captain of Company B. In 1912, he was appointed as a Captain in the San Antonio Police Department. In 1921, he served as Supervisor for the U.S. Customs Service until his appointment as a U.S. Prohibition Agent.

Stevens’ father, Bexar County Sheriff E.A. Stevens, was shot in the line of duty in 1881, and later succumbed to his wounds in 1885. Stevens was survived by his wife, Trixie Cross Stevens; brother, Oliver A. Stevens; and three sisters, Mrs. Adele Mueller of Buffalo, New York, Mrs. David Jones of San Antonio, and Mrs. Elizabeth Bowsky of Paris, France. He was buried in the San Jose Cemetery in San Antonio.