Kershaw County Sheriff's Department, South Carolina
End of Watch: Thursday, February 21, 1974
Age: 23
Tour of Duty: 4 months
Badge Number: 14
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 21, 1974
Weapon Used: Handgun; .357 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Sheriff Ernest Potter was shot and killed when he and his partner stopped to investigate two men who were hitchhiking on I-20. As the deputies stepped out of their patrol car, a third suspect surprised them from behind a guardrail and held them at gunpoint.
The three suspects walked the two deputies down an embankment, where they opened fire on both deputies. Deputy Potter was struck in the head several times and killed. The other deputy was shot in the head and seriously wounded.
The three suspects had murdered Patrolman Richey Finch of the Forest Acres Police Department when Patrolman Finch stopped their vehicle several hours earlier. The shooter was sentenced to life plus 99 years. As of 2020, he was still in prison.
Deputy Potter had served with the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department for four months. He was survived by his expectant wife and son. In 1997, his son became a Richland County Deputy.