Bio & Incident Details
Age: 22
Tour: 8 years
Badge # Not available
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 8/22/1937
Weapon: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect: Apprehended
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Patrolman George Penn was shot and killed by two escaped convicts who failed to stop for truck scales. Unbeknownst to Patrolman Penn, the truck was loaded with stolen meat. The suspects led him on a chase that ended in a shootout in Buncombe County. Patrolman Penn was shot and killed after he ran out of ammunition.
The suspects were apprehended and returned to prison. Both men were convicted of Patrolman Penn's murder. They were executed in the gas chamber on July 1, 1938.
Patrolman Penn had been with the agency for 8 years. He was survived by his wife and parents.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation named a bridge on Interstate 240 in Asheville at the Blue Ridge parkway-US 74 interchage as the Patrolman George Penn Memorial Bridge.
