Deputy Sheriff Thomas “Walker” LeMay, 30, of the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed Sunday, April 19, 2026, while responding to a welfare check near Wister, Oklahoma.
At approximately 11:00 a.m., deputies and officers from the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office, the Wister Police Department, and the U.S. Forest Service responded to a residence along U.S. Highway 270. Upon arrival, the suspect — later identified as Edgar Lara, 36 — opened fire on law enforcement. Officers returned fire. Lara retreated into the residence and barricaded himself inside.
Deputy LeMay was struck during the exchange of gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene. Wister Police Chief Andy Thompson was also shot and transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and listed in stable condition.
The standoff lasted several hours, with multiple additional agencies responding to assist, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local tribal law enforcement. Lara surrendered at approximately 4:00 p.m. He was treated for minor injuries and booked into the LeFlore County Jail, where he was placed on suicide watch. Formal charges are pending through the District 16 District Attorney’s Office. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation at the request of the sheriff’s office.
Deputy LeMay is survived by his daughter, his parents, and his brother. The LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office described him as a father to “his most precious baby girl.”
A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, April 24, at 2:00 p.m. inside the Heavener Schools gym. Deputy LeMay’s patrol vehicle has been placed on the front lawn of the LeFlore County Courthouse. The sheriff’s office is welcoming community members to leave decorations in his honor.
Sheriff Rodney Derryberry asked the public to keep Deputy LeMay’s family and fellow law enforcement officers in their thoughts and prayers.
