In the late fall of 1888, an encounter set in motion a tragic chain of events for Special Officer Hank Frost of the Nogales Police Department. On November 11th, the male officer arrested a gambler for disturbing the peace. While being escorted to jail, the man became violent, pulling a knife and attempting to attack Frost. In the ensuing struggle, Officer Frost fatally shot his assailant.
This act of self-defense would ultimately seal his own fate, as a friend of the deceased gambler vowed to take revenge.
Weeks later, on the evening of December 30, 1888, Officer Frost was sitting in a local saloon, unaware of the danger that was imminent. A man, later identified as an associate of the gambler Frost had killed, entered the establishment and, without any warning, fired his revolver at the unsuspecting officer. The lone gunman immediately fled the scene, successfully making his way across the border into Mexico to evade capture by United States law enforcement. Hank Frost, a veteran of the U.S. Army, succumbed to his wounds.
The pursuit of justice for the murder of Officer Frost was a long and drawn-out affair. The suspect remained a fugitive for years, having found refuge in Mexico. It wasn't until nearly two decades later, on June 1, 1908, that the man responsible for Frost's death met his end. He was ultimately shot and killed in Guaymas, a city in the Mexican state of Sonora, finally closing the chapter on the vengeful killing of the Nogales lawman.
