Deputy Sheriff William Thomas Beasley

William Thomas Beasley

Deputy Beasley was shot and killed while he and other deputies were setting up sting on a bank. The Tulsa County sheriff had received a tip that the bank would be robbed so he and four deputies setup an ambush. Deputy Beasley was inside of a barn across the street from the bank. When the suspects exited the bank after robbing it they were ordered to put their hands up. Instead, the suspects began to shoot. Officers and citizens returned fire, fatally wounding two of three suspects.
When the deputies returned to the scene the realized that Deputy Beasley was missing. The sheriff returned to the scene and found Deputy Beasley in the barn, having died from a bullet wound. It is thought that he was struck by a stray bullet fired by a citizen during the shootout.