Naco Debacle
Jeff Kidder vs. Naco Policia
By: Bob Boze Bell 11/03/2009
The View from Naco
After Jeff Kidder’s death, Capt. Harry Wheeler crossed the U.S./Mexico border to investigate the shooting. He interviewed eyewitnesses and the three wounded officers (one of them allegedly died of his wounds later on). Their stories conflicted wildly, and much of what they said put Kidder in a bad light. A bartender testified Kidder “had taken at least 50 drinks.” After hearing their testimony, Wheeler traveled to Cananea to recover Kidder’s revolver and badge, the latter he found in a pawn shop.
Because of the political fallout from the gunfight, some 15 cantinas in Naco were closed and 20 Naco policemen and line riders, including the wounded chief, were dismissed. Of course, as is often the case on both sides of the border, some of the discharged officers were soon reinstated.
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Please visit Jeff's memorial page on FindAGrave.com
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