San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, California
End of Watch Friday, October 20, 1989
Add to My HeroesDighton Lewis Little
Deputy Sheriff Dighton Little was shot and killed while serving a narcotics-related warrant as a member of his department's SWAT team.
The SWAT team was assisting deputies from Stanislaus County who had executed a search warrant several days earlier and recovered a weapon.
While outside of the suspect's trailer on Highway 99, in Ripon, he was shot in the head with a high powered rifle fired through a window. The suspect was then shot and killed by other officers. Deputy Little was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Bio
- Age 35
- Tour Not available
- Badge Not available
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Rifle; .30-.06
- Offender Shot and killed
Most Recent Reflection
View all 19 ReflectionsJust found this page. Dite was my son. His mother is deceased, not long after Dite's death. I'll be 90 next year. He was a fine young man and is loss was horrific. He died doing what he wanted. He loved the job, his coworkers and the challenges. A number of the men who were with him that day have stayed in touch and it has been a blessing. His brother and I visited his grave in Stockton, CA, last year and it was very moving. His mother is buried just about 5 yards away. He was divorced and had no children. Dite and both of his parents were born in Montana and he loved that state. Dite was a true warrior, studied martial arts as a youth (judo) and had real gifts on the football field. His ancestors were in the Little Clan in Scotland, one of the fifty oldest clans. He was a third generation member of the American Legion. It helps to know that given a choice he would have wanted to be where he was, doing what he did, right up to the end. We will never forget him. With love. Warren "Dite" Little, retired FBI Agent (1956-1980), Missoula, MT 20July2019
Warren Little,Retired Special Agent, FBI
FBI (1956-80)
July 20, 2019
Recent LODD Deaths

Agent Billy Fred Clardy, III
Huntsville Police Department, AL
EOW: December 6, 2019

Sergeant Joshua Voth
Colorado Department of Corrections, CO
EOW: December 4, 2019

Master-at-Arms Oscar J. Temores
United States Navy Security Forces, US
EOW: November 30, 2019

Sheriff John "Big John" Williams, Sr.
Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, AL
EOW: November 23, 2019

Police Officer Rasheen McClain
Detroit Police Department, MI
EOW: November 20, 2019

Investigator Cecil Ridley
Richmond County Sheriff's Office, GA
EOW: November 19, 2019

Deputy Sheriff Stephen Reece
Cheatham County Sheriff's Office, TN
EOW: November 15, 2019

Deputy Sheriff Makeem Brooks
Northampton County Sheriff's Office, NC
EOW: November 13, 2019

Detective Jorge Rene DelRio
Dayton Police Department, OH
EOW: November 7, 2019