Bio & Incident Details
Age: 38
Tour: 7 years
Badge # Not available
Cause: Gunfire
Location: Texas
Incident Date: 5/8/1919
Weapon: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect: three killed and one wounded
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Around 10:15 p.m. a party of mounted immigration, customs and public health officers were on patrol duty along the Rio Grande River about seven miles from Laredo in Webb County, Texas. The mounted Customs Inspectors were Robert Rumsey and John Chamberlain; Border Patrol Mounted Watchmen Charles Hopkins, James Dunnoway and Mal Petty; and Quarantine Guard Ira Hill of the US Public Health Service. The federal officers witnessed four Mexicans in a boat land on the American side of the border near where Rumsey and Hopkins were hiding in the chaparral. The other officers were about 15 feet away. When Rumsey called upon the men to halt, the suspects opened fire with rifles and revolvers. Hopkins was hit with a bullet in the right side coming out the left side of his back. Rumsey shot the suspect, later identified as Jose Valdez, who had mortally wounded Hopkins. Hill, Donnoway and Chamberlain were involved in a gun battle with two suspects still in the boat until both were dead. The fourth suspect was in the water and was killed by Rumsey. Dunnoway had his thumbs shot away and Hill was seriously wounded in the stomach in the exchange of gunfire. Valdez was captured.
Hopkins was brought to Mercy Hospital in Laredo and died at 1:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 1919. He had been with the agency for seven years. He was married but it is unknown if he had any children. He is buried in Exchange, WV.
Quarantine Guard Hill died on June 1, 1919 from his wounds. Three years later, US Customs Inspector Robert Rumsey, Jr., was killed in the line of duty on August 19, 1922 near Laredo.
Related Line of Duty Deaths
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Quarantine Guard Ira Trueman Hill |
