Lyon County Sheriff's Office, Kansas
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 16, 1916
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 16, 1916
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Sheriff Walter Davis was shot and killed while he and another officer attempted to arrest two robbery suspects. As Sheriff Davis searched one of the men the other man opened fire, fatally wounding him. Several posse members were also shot and wounded during a search for the man.
The 22 year-old suspect and an accomplice were eventually apprehended and convicted of Sheriff Davis' murder, and sentenced to life in prison on October 12, 1916. In 1925 Governor Clyde M. Reed reduced the murderer's sentence to 15 years making him eligible for parole.
Sheriff Davis was predeceased by his wife and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Emporia, Lyons County, Kansas.