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Personnel Killed in the Line of Duty

Name Date  
Patrolman Maury Young 9-5-1936 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 9-21-1943 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.
Patrolman Henry Preston Bryant 12-7-1952 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 5-20-1952 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 10-3-1953 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 11-8-1957 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 7-25-1960 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 10-4-1962 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.
Sergeant Raymond M. Carlton 2-27-1965 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 7-29-1967 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 7-31-1969 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.
Corporal Thomas O. Gillilan 7-1-1970 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 4-11-1971 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 2-21-1974 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 4-19-1974 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 6-27-1974 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 11-2-1978 Trooper Johnnie Earl Booker, 28, was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday, November 2, 1978, in Talladega County.
Trooper David E. Temple 9-13-1979 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 5-25-1985 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.
Trooper Robert W. Jones 11-3-1991 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.
Trooper Willis V. Moore 2-26-1996 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 2-17-2002 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.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - St. John 15:13