Cortez Police Department, Colorado
End of Watch: Friday, May 29, 1998
Age: 45
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Lobo 11
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 29, 1998
Weapon Used: Rifle; Semi-automatic
Suspect Info: Deceased
Patrolman Dale Claxton was shot 18 times and killed after stopping a water truck that had been stolen.
He had located the vehicle on County Road 27 and stopped it at the McElmo Creek bridge. Before Patrolman Claxton exited his patrol car one of the three suspects in the vehicle opened fire on him with a fully automatic rifle, shooting him 18 times.
The suspects then fled but were pursued by other officers. During an intense gun battle, two deputies from the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office were shot and wounded. The suspects stole another pickup truck before escaping into a canyon-filled portion of the state.
The National Guard and over 500 officers from four states assisted in the search for the suspects. One of the suspects was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in early June 1998 after wounding a San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputy. A second suspect's skeletal remains were found in November 1999. The third suspect's remains were found in Utah in June 2007.
Patrolman Claxton had served with the Cortez Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife, four children, and a granddaughter. He is buried in Cortez Cemetery, Cortez, Montezuma County, Colorado.
One of his sons later became a police officer with the Cortez Police Department and the badge number Lobo 11 was retired permanently.