In the late summer of 1973, on the vast expanse of the Navajo Reservation in Lupton, Arizona, a dedicated lawman's life was tragically cut short. Deputy Sheriff Delbert L. Berry, a 32-year-old male who had been with the Apache County Sheriff's Office for a mere two weeks, was fatally shot on Sunday, September 2, 1973. He had previously served for five years with the McKinley County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico.
On that fateful day, Deputy Berry observed a group of approximately 20
people gathered outside a trading post and commendably stopped to investigate the situation. Unbeknownst to him, the group was in the process of looting the store. As his patrol car entered the parking lot, it was swarmed by the individuals. In a sudden act of violence, one of the men fired a shotgun into the vehicle, ending Deputy Berry's life.
Following the shooting, Deputy Berry's body was removed from his patrol car. Five individuals, consisting of three adults and two juvenile girls, then stole his patrol vehicle and service weapon. The subjects who took the car were apprehended a short time later. The man responsible for the fatal shot, a 23-year-old, was arrested a month later in Phoenix and subsequently charged with murder.
The suspect was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and received an indeterminate sentence of 20 years. He was released from prison in 2021. The group involved in the incident was reported to have affiliations with the American Indian Movement. Deputy Berry was survived by his wife and three children.
