Vicksburg Police Department, Mississippi
End of Watch: Sunday, November 5, 1916
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 5, 1916
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Captain Stites was shot and killed when he interrupted three men burglarizing a store in the downtown area of Vicksburg. He had been alerted to the burglary by the sound of breaking glass.
All three men were apprehended and convicted of Captain Stites' murder. One was sentenced to death and the other two were sentenced to life in prison. On July 3, 1917, one of the suspects, who was sentenced to life, told officials that he was the one who fired the fatal shot. The other suspect's death sentence was then commuted to life. On January 14, 1918, the suspect who confessed escaped from the state prison farm in Rankin County. He was captured on July 28, 1924, in Montesano, Washington.
Captain Stites had served with the Vicksburg Police Department for 20 years. He was survived by his three sisters.