LeFlore Deputy Thomas 'Walker' LeMay Killed in Wister Shootout

LEFLORE COUNTY, Okla. — Deputy Thomas "Walker" LeMay of the LeFlore County Sheriff's Office was killed in the line of duty Sunday morning, his End of Watch recorded as April 19, 2026. The incident unfolded around 11 a.m. off Highway 270 near Wister, a small town in southeastern Oklahoma's rugged Ouachita Mountains, when LeFlore deputies, Wister police and U.S. Forest Service officers arrived for a welfare check at a local home. They were immediately met with gunfire from 36-year-old Edgar Lara, who barricaded himself inside.[1][2][3] LeFlore County Sheriff Kevin Foster announced LeMay's death with profound sadness, as the deputy succumbed to his injuries following the exchange. Wister Police Chief William "Andy" Thompson, also shot, was hospitalized in stable condition. Return fire from investigators pinned Lara down until about 4 p.m., when he emerged with minor injuries, received treatment and was booked into LeFlore County Jail pending charges from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.[1][2][3] The OSBI is leading the probe into the officer-involved shooting, with its crime scene unit processing the rural property west of Wister. No other suspects are involved, and authorities assured the public of its safety. LeFlore County, home to about 15,000 residents amid dense forests and the Wister Lake area, now grapples with the loss of one of its own in a region where law enforcement often handles high-risk calls alone.[1][3] LeMay's death marks a somber moment for Oklahoma's 77 counties, where deputies like him patrol vast, understaffed territories. Community vigils are forming in Poteau, the county seat, as residents honor the fallen hero who gave his life serving LeFlore's backroads and hollows.[1][2]