King County Sheriff's Office, Washington
End of Watch: Friday, March 7, 1952
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 2 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 7, 1952
Weapon Used: Handgun; .45 caliber
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy Silkworth was shot and killed when he and three other deputies responded to a robbery call at the Inglewood Golf and Country Club. Several suspects had tied up several employees and robbed them. One of the employees was able to free himself and went to his office to retrieve his handgun and call the police.
When the deputies arrived the victim thought it was the robbers returning and opened fire, striking Deputy Silkworth three times, killing him. Two of the other deputies were wounded.
The employee pled guilty to manslaughter and received a deferred sentence as long as he never possessed a firearm again. Five men and three women were charged with the burglary. Four of the suspects were never apprehended.
Deputy Silkworth had served with the agency for 14 months. He was survived by his wife.