Wilmington Police Department, North Carolina
End of Watch: Saturday, August 5, 1865
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 3, 1865
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Never identified
Officer Thomas DeVane succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two days earlier.
He was accosted at the intersection of 5th Street and Orange Street and shot once in the groin. He was taken to his home where he succumbed to his wounds two days later.
On the same night that Officer DeVane was shot and killed, a group of drunk Union soldiers attacked police officers in several other locations. No suspects were ever identified or arrested in connection with his murder.
Officer DeVane was a Confederate Army veteran and had served with the Wilmington Police Department for only six months. He was survived by his expectant wife and two children.