Bio & Incident Details
Age: 45
Tour: 3 years
Badge # 1
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 9/12/1917
Weapon: Handgun; .32 caliber
Suspect: Shot and killed
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Sheriff Ralston was shot and killed when he and a deputy went to speak with a mentally ill farmer who had been causing problems in his neighborhood. As the deputies approached the area they were ambushed by the suspect. Sheriff Ralston was struck in the side and fell to the ground. The deputy, who was unarmed, took cover on the side of the road. After firing at the retreating deputy the suspect began shooting Sheriff Ralston again, striking him in the back and lung. The man fled into his house where he was shot and killed by a posse after a standoff.
Sheriff Ralston had been with the agency for just under three years and was survived by his wife and five children.
