United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, U.S. Government
End of Watch: Monday, October 7, 1957
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 7, 1957
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Apprehended
Enforcement Officer Benjamin Stone was shot and killed near Brownsville, Texas, as he and two other officers patrolling an area on the shores of the Rio Grande River known as "Smuggler's Bend."
Officer Stone had arrested a group of Mexican smugglers and was ushering them towards a house where their contraband was stored. The smugglers overpowered Officer Stone, disarmed him, and then shot him with his own .38 caliber service revolver before fleeing back into Mexico.
Mexican police officers arrested seven men and Officer Stone's service weapon within four hours while officers in the United States arrested the two men who owned the house used by the smugglers. One of the men arrested by Mexican authorities signed a confession stating he shot Officer Stone.
Enforcement Officer Stone was a U.S. Navy veteran and was survived by his wife. son, and two daughters. He was buried in Zanesville, Ohio