Sheriff William Brady

William Brady

Sheriff William Brady and Deputy George Hindman were shot and killed by the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid and his gang as they walked down the street in front of the county courthouse.

Billy the Kid, along with 5 members of his gang who were hiding behind an adobe wall across the street, ambushed Brady and four of his deputies on the main street of Lincoln.

The outlaw gang was responsible for the murders of several other law enforcement officers over the course of several years. It was for the murder of Brady that Billy the Kid was convicted by a territorial court in April 1881, and sentenced to death, a conviction that led to his escape from the Lincoln County jail and his subsequent killing by Sheriff Pat Garrett.

Sheriff Brady, who served with the U.S. Army for 15 years including his tenure in the 1st New Mexico Cavalry, was survived by his wife and six children. He served as Lincoln County Sheriff for five years. He is buried with Deputy Hindman on private property on what was Sheriff Brady's ranch east of Lincoln, New Mexico at the Brady-Hindman burial site.