Personnel Killed In The Line Of Duty

Patrolman Maury Young

09/05/1936

Patrolman Maury Young was killed in Montgomery County on Saturday, September 5, 1936, when his motorcycle struck a wagon on the Troy-Montgomery Highway near Pine Level. The motorcycle overturned and caught fire, pinning Young beneath it. Young’s was the first death in the line of duty.

Patrolman William D. Raiford, Sr.

10/16/1937

Patrolman William D. Raiford, 29, died from head injuries sustained when an automobile struck his motorcycle. The accident happened in Jefferson County on Sunday, October 16, 1937. Raiford's was the second death in the line of duty of a Alabama Highway Patrol Officer.

L. Bert Ussery, Chief Radio Engineer

09/21/1943

Radio Engineer L. Bert Ussery was killed September 21, 1943, on U.S. 231 near Troy as he, his wife and a Motorola engineer were returning from Dothan, where they had been working on the patrol's new radio system. Bert's wife, Mary, an employee of the Driver License Division, was injured in the crash. She retired from the department in the 1960s.

Agent Leroy H. Thomas

01/03/1947

Agent Thomas was killed Jan. 3, 1947, after being shot by a man he had stopped for hauling illegal liquor.  

Patrolman Henry Preston Bryant

12/07/1952

Patrolman Henry Preston Bryant, 30, was killed in an automobile accident while in pursuit of a fleeing vehicle on Saturday, December 6, 1952, in Jackson County. The other vehicle failed to yield the right of way to his patrol car.

Patrolman Arvil O. Hudson

05/20/1952

Patrolman Arvil O. Hudson was killed on Sunday, May 18,1952, when his patrol car skidded on a slippery highway in Walker County, while chasing a speeding vehicle.

Patrolman Julian F. Draughon

10/03/1953

Patrolman Julian F. Draughon, 29, was killed on Saturday, October 3,1953, in Houston County. He was escorting a vehicle to a hospital when his motorcycle was hit by a truck which failed to yield the right of way.

Patrolman Howard Brock

11/08/1957

Patrolman Howard Brock, 46, was killed in an automobile accident on Friday, November 8, 1957, in Lee County, when another vehicle pulled out in front of his patrol car while Brock was in pursuit of a fleeing vehicle.

Patrolman Joe Partin

07/25/1960

Patrolman Joe Partin, 32, was killed when a truck made an improper turn in front of his motorcycle on Wednesday, July 27, 1960, in Baldwin County. Partin, along with patrolmen Kenneth Rush, Jim Bryant and J.W. 'Chuck' Franklin, was returning to Montgomery from the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo on Dauphin Island. Patrolmen Kenneth Rush was seriously injured in the accident.

Patrolman Anthony A. Scozzaro

12/14/1961

Patrolman Anthony A. Scozzaro, 22, a trooper only days, was killed on Wednesday, December 13, 1961, in the city limits of Montgomery when the patrol car in which he was a passenger was struck broadside by a vehicle that ran a stop sign. Patrolmen Kenneth Rush, the driver of the patrol car, was seriously injured in this accident.

Captain Thomas E. Maxwell

10/04/1962

Captain Thomas E. Maxwell was critically injured in a traffic crash in northwest Alabama on October 4, 1962, while responding to a request to assist the Mississippi State Safety Patrol at the Mississippi state line. Maxwell died several day later from his injuries.

Agent William Norvin Palmer

03/26/1964

Agent Palmer was killed March 26, 1964, after being shot while raiding a moonshine still in Bibb County.

Sergeant Raymond M. Carlton

02/27/1965

Sergeant Raymond M. Carlton, 53, was killed when a tire blew out on his patrol car. The car ran off the roadway and hit a bridge abutment on U.S. 331 on Tuesday, February 27, 1965, in Covington County.

Trooper Randolph G. Glover

07/29/1967

Trooper Randolph G. Glover, 31, was killed in an automobile accident when he lost control of his patrol car while in pursuit of a fleeing vehicle. The accident occurred on Saturday, July 19, 1967, in Monroe County.

Trooper Brooks D. Lawson

07/31/1969

Trooper Brooks D. Lawson, 29, was struck and killed by a train at an unprotected crossing while in pursuit of a fleeing vehicle on Thursday, July 31, 1969, in Wilcox County.

Agent Walter A. Thackerson

12/05/1969

Agent Thackerson was killed Dec. 5, 1969, in an automobile accident while on duty.

Corporal Thomas O. Gillilan

07/01/1970

Corporal Thomas O. Gillilan, 38, while working alone, was fatally wounded when a man he had stopped for speeding overpowered Gillilan, took his pistol, and shot him. This happened Friday, June 28, 1970, on U.S. 331 south in Crenshaw County. Gillilan died three days later, July 1, 1970, at a Montgomery hospital.

Corporal Harlan Blake

10/10/1970

Corporal Harlan Blake, 38, was killed in an automobile accident on Saturday, October 10, 1970, in Russell County. He was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle. During the pursuit, his patrol car was involved in an accident with a truck.

Auxiliary Trooper Ormand Watkins

04/11/1971

Auxiliary Trooper Ormand Watkins, 26, was shot and killed while he and Trooper Ronald Ogletree were attempting to arrest a man for driving while intoxicated. The incident happened on Sunday, April 11, 1971, in Etowah County.

Corporal Riley D. Smith

12/17/1971

Corporal Riley D. Smith, 34, was electrocuted when he was called to check a body that had been found in marshy water adjacent to the Mobile Causeway. When he waded into the shallow water, he came in contact with a metal post on a billboard, which was later found to have an electrical short. This incident happened on Friday, December 17, 1971, in Mobile County.

Trooper James B. Robinson

12/10/1972

Trooper James B. Robinson, 41, was killed while assisting Talladega police officers in an investigation of a report of a man with a rifle. During a gun battle, Trooper Robinson was shot in the throat by the subject with a rifle. This happened on Sunday, December 10, 1972, in Talladega.

Trooper Bobby S. Gann

02/21/1974

Trooper Bobby S. Gann, 38, was shot and killed by an escaped mental patient. Trooper Gann responded to a call about a stolen vehicle and chased the subject into a nearby house. Trooper Gann went into the house after the subject and was shot. This happened on Thursday, February 21, 1974, in Autauga County.

Trooper Kenyon M. Lassiter

04/19/1974

Trooper Kenyon M. Lassiter, 51, was standing by his patrol car writing a warning when a hit-and-run vehicle crossed over to the wrong side of the road, hit the vehicle that Trooper Lassiter had stopped, and ran over the trooper. The death occurred on Friday, April 19,1974, in Covington County. Trooper Lassiter had earlier saved the life of the driver following a previous accident involving the same driver.

Sergeant Julian D. Stuckey

06/27/1974

Sergeant Julian D. Stuckey, 36, was killed on Thursday, June 27, 1974, in Conecuh County, when a tire on his patrol car blew out, causing the vehicle to hit a bridge railing on I-65. Stuckey had planned to be married that weekend.

Trooper Johnnie Earl Booker

11/02/1978

Trooper Johnnie Earl Booker, 28, was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday, November 2, 1978, in Talladega County.

Trooper David E. Temple

09/13/1979

Trooper David E. Temple, 36, was killed on Thursday, September 13, 1979, in Limestone County. He was attempting to apprehend two robbery suspects when one shot him.

Trooper Simmie L. Jeffries

12/21/1984

Trooper Simmie L. Jeffries, 22, was killed in an accident involving his patrol vehicle and an 18-wheeler. The accident happened on Friday, December 21, 1984, in Limestone County.

Corporal Larry D. Cawyer

05/25/1985

Corporal Larry D. Cawyer, 42, was in the process of writing a traffic violation when two approaching vehicles collided, hitting the patrol car and causing the vehicles to burst into flames. Trooper Cawyer and two others were killed. The accident happened on Saturday, May 25, 1985, in Baldwin County on the Mobile Bayway.

Trooper Elizabeth S. Cobb

10/11/1987

Trooper Elizabeth S. Cobb, 31, was shot to death while on duty in Dallas County on October 11, 1987. A fellow trooper, Joe Duncan, subsequently was arrested for and convicted of her murder.

Lieutenant Troy Duaine Woodall

05/30/1990

Lieutenant Woodall was killed May 30, 1990, in a helicopter crash while pursuing a drug suspect. During the flight, the helicopter struck power lines, causing the crash.

Trooper Robert W. Jones

11/03/1991

Trooper Robert W. Jones, 40, was killed on Sunday, November 3, 1991, in Pike County on U.S. 231. The accident occurred when a tractor-trailer pulled out in front of Jones' patrol car while he was responding to a call.

Lieutenant Coy N. Smith

06/28/1994

Lieutenant Coy N. Smith, Alabama Public Service Commission Enforcement Officer, 61, was killed on June 28, 1994, as a result of a gunshot wound to the head after stopping a suspect who had murdered Gary Heath, a Greenville, Alabama Police Officer, and Len Rowell, a Pearl River County, Mississippi, Sheriff Deputy.  As Lieutenant Smith attempted to verify the motorist by calling the tag number, the suspect fired his weapon killing Lieutenant Smith.  The suspect committed suicide later in the day after being surrounded by federal agents.

Trooper Willis V. Moore

02/26/1996

Trooper Willis V. Moore, 33, was killed Monday, February 26, 1996, in Madison County in a one-vehicle crash on U.S. 231 north of Huntsville.

Trooper Brian Keith Nichols

02/17/2002

Trooper Nichols was near the end of his shift in Washington County when his patrol vehicle struck a horse in the road. The animal hit the vehicle's roof, which caved in causing Trooper Nichols to lose control of the car and run off the road.