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Sydney J. Benson, Mounted Patrolman
Born: September 16, 1877
End of Watch: June 28, 1917 |
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On Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m., on June 28th,
1917, Officer Sidney J. Benson was shot and killed by a man he had arrested
in the railway yards. Officer Benson was driving the man to the City Jail
and was passing the 900 block of Texas Street when the un-handcuffed man
reached over and grabbed Officer Benson’s gun. The unidentified suspect
then shot officer Benson four times, striking him twice in the head and
twice in the torso. The patrol car Benson was driving crashed and the suspect
escaped, never to be captured. Benson died instantly from the two shots
to the head. Officer Benson was a seven-year veteran of the El Paso Police
Department and was the second most senior on the force at the time of his
death. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and his one year old child. Before
becoming an El Paso Policeman, Benson was an East Texas cattle rancher.
Source: El Paso Herald
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