In the dusty rail yards of Gila Bend, Arizona, a lawman's life was tragically cut short in the late summer of 1910. Special Officer Joel Robert Dubose of the Southern Pacific Railroad Police Department was on duty when he spotted a man attempting to hitch a ride on train Number 4 as it was pulling out of the yards. Officer Dubose, a male officer, saw the man climb onto the baggage car and, in the course of his duty, ordered the individual to get off the train.
What began as a routine
ejection of a hobo quickly escalated into a fatal confrontation. The man, instead of complying with the officer's command, produced a handgun and opened fire. Officer Dubose was struck in the abdomen, a severe and ultimately mortal wound. Despite the grievous injury, he managed to return fire, hitting his assailant once.
The wounded shooter fled, running behind a nearby roundhouse where he then took his own life. Officer Dubose, meanwhile, was rushed to a hospital in Tucson for medical attention. Despite the efforts to save him, he succumbed to his gunshot wound the following morning, on September 5, 1910. The suspect in his death was the man who shot him, who died by suicide at the scene, thus no arrest was made.
