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Lee Quan Was Fatally Shot in Custody

Date:August 25, 1891
Location:Ouray, Colorado
Event Type:Lynching
Victim Names:Lee Quang (aka Lee Oman)
Victim Gender:Male
No. of Victims:1
Accusation:Attempted rape
Killing Method:Hanging (jail mob)
Compiled By:Monroe Work Project; Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States (1919, NAACP)

Narrative

In August 1891, Lee Quan was arrested in Ouray, Colorado, after being accused of attempting to assault Colonel Shaw’s daughter. San Francisco Chronicle reported that as officers tried to take him to a place of safety, he “was shot twice and will die.” Likewise, the Oklahoma Daily Times-Journal said he was fatally shot and suggested the girl’s father fired the shots. The linked reports describe a custody killing driven by an angry mob performing lynch law without much deliberation.

Related Newspaper Article(s)

Speedy Retribution

San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California)

August 26, 1891 (Page 1)

In Ouray, Colorado, Lee Quan, arrested for assaulting General Shaw’s daughter, is shot twice by enraged citizens while officers attempt to move him to safety; he is expected to die—“speedy retribution,” locals say.

A Bad Chinaman

Oklahoma Daily Times-Journal (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

August 27, 1891 (Page 1)

In Ouray, Colorado, Lee Quan is accused of attempting to rape Colonel Shaw’s daughter; while deputies escort him, gunfire—believed from the girl’s father—fatally wounds the suspect amid community outrage.