Today In Wyoming's History: September 14, 1919: 1919 Game Warden Buxton was shot in the course of his duties.
Violence against Wyoming Game Wardens has been incredibly rare and very, very few have lost their lives in the performance of their duties. Buxton was one of them. He responded to reports of gunshots near Rock Springs, encountered two individuals, and after informing them, Joe Omeye, that the hunting season confiscated a rifle from him. The day being a Sunday, Buxton reported to the incident with his wife.
While putting the rifle in his car he was called by Omeye who shot him with a pistol that he'd been carrying concealed. The shot wounded Buxton who called for his wife to give him his gun. Omeye then shot at Buxton's wife but missed, and she fled for help. Help arrived too late and Buxton died on the way to the hospital.
Omeye was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree and served time in the Wyoming State Penitentiary to twenty years in the penitentiary.
He initially served only four years before being paroled, providing proof that the common perception of serving being light only in modern times is wrong. He violated his parole, however, and was returned to prison to be released again in 1931.
Omeye's companion, John Kolman, was not arrested and must not have been regarded as implicated in what occurred in any fashion. An Austrian immigrant, he died in Rock Springs at age 93 in 1968.
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