Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith, a male, was fatally shot in West-farms, NY, on May 17, 1792. Smith, a Revolutionary War hero, farmer, doctor, and politician, was serving as a New York City deputy sheriff at the time of his death. The incident occurred outside a tavern at Delancey's Mill when Smith was attempting to serve a writ and arrest a man for disturbing the peace. During the attempt to take the subject into custody, the man shot and killed him.
The individual responsible for Deputy Smith's death was a known British loyalist. Following the shooting, the suspect fled to Canada in an effort to avoid arrest. Despite his attempt to escape, he was eventually captured. The suspect was subsequently tried and then executed by hanging on October 2, 1793. Deputy Smith was survived by his wife and two children. For a long time, his death was thought to be the first line-of-duty death in American law enforcement history, a distinction that is now held by another officer.
