First Las
Animas
Lawman
Killed in the Line of Duty
Sheriff Juan C. Tafoya
– February 6, 1872
First Las Animas Lawman Killed
in the Line of Duty
Sheriff Juan C. Tafoya – February
6, 1872
TAFOYA, JUAN C. (1820-1872)
Juan Tafoya was a deputy sheriff in
January 1868, when the infamous
Trinidad War broke out. Following
the murder of one John Dunn, Frank
Blue was arrested and placed in jail.
A group of Blue’s friends stormed
the jail, apprehended deputy Tafoya
and released Blue. Tafoya rounded
up a posse and cornered the Blue
group in a hotel on Main Street.
The siege went on for two days. The
military was finally called in to end
the standoff.
Tafoya was elected sheriff in 1870,
only to be removed in December
1870. In the election of 1871, he was
appointed sheriff, afterremoval
of
the elected sheriff, W.G.
Rifenburg. Tafoya was reelected,
but was murdered in January
1872......He is buried in the “Old
Section” of the Trinidad Catholic
Cemetery in Trinidad, Colorado.
...Marcy Ugstad
Sheriff Juan Tafoya was shot and
killed as he attempted to intervene
in a dispute between three brothers
and a saloon owner. One of the
cowboys had gone to the saloon
to drink and gamble. At one point
during the time in the saloon he felt
that he had been cheated and left
the saloon, warning that he would
be back. After he left the barkeep
sent for Sheriff Tafoya, who went to
the saloon and waited for the man
to return. When the man came back
he was accompanied by his two
brothers. Despite the saloon owner
offering to give the man his money
back, he yelled that someone was
going to die. At that point Sheriff
Tafoya reached for the man’s gun
but was shot in the chest and head.
The brothers fled but were quickly
located by a posse. Two of the
brothers were shot and killed and
the third was hanged after being
captured. Sheriff Tafoya had served
as sheriff for only one year.
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N
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