Patrolman W. L. Reese
North Carolina Highway Patrol
North Carolina
End of Watch: Tuesday, November 5, 1957

Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Tuesday, November 5, 1957
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life

Patrolman Reese was shot and killed in Richmond County after stopping a vehicle for speeding. After the shooting the suspect fled but was later pulled over by Patrolman J. T. Brown in Lee County. During that stop the suspect also shot and killed Patrolman Brown. The vehicle, later found to be stolen, was being driven by a New York state mental hospital escapee. The escapee was en route to Mississippi to attempt to break his brother out of death row.

Three weeks later the suspect was captured in Bakersfield, California. Since his escape a month earlier, it was discovered that he was involved in numerous burglaries in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. He was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and sentenced to two life terms on March 19, 1958. The suspect who turned 87 in 2009 has repeatedly been denied parole and remains in prison.

A section of U.S. 74 near Hamlet, North Carolina, was renamed in honor of Patrolman Reese.

Related Line of Duty Deaths

Patrolman J. T. Brown North Carolina Highway Patrol, NC EOW: Tuesday, November 5, 1957 Cause of Death: Gunfire