Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Arizona
End of Watch: Monday, October 21, 1963
Age: 52
Tour of Duty: 33 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 21, 1963
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Sheriff Robert Tarr was shot and killed at an agricultural inspection station near Kingman, Arizona, at 3:00 p.m.
Two men who had just been released from California and Arizona prisons had stolen a car in Long Beach, CA, and were stopped at the agricultural inspection station because they didn't have the paperwork for the car. The inspector called the sheriff, and when he responded, he asked one of the men to open the trunk. After doing so, the ex-convict drew a weapon and shot Sheriff Tarr as he walked toward him. Sheriff Tarr then drew his weapon and fired four times, hitting the suspect twice.
Sheriff Tarr was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and served in law enforcement for 33 years. He had served with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Kingman Police Department, and the San Bernardino County, California, Sheriff's Office. He is survived by his wife, nine children, mother, and six siblings.