North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina
End of Watch: Saturday, December 2, 1972
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 2, 1972
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Patrolman Larry Walton was shot and killed after stopping a speeding vehicle in Robeson County.
A Rowland police officer found him lying in a ditch beside his patrol car on State Road 130, five miles west of Rowland and close to the South Carolina state line. He had been shot five times.
A man was arrested the next day and charged with Patrolman Walton's murder. He had been released from prison two months earlier after serving five years for manslaughter. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life on March 21st, 1973. He died in prison December 10th, 2015.
Patrolman Walton was a U.S Army veteran and had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for less than two years. He is survived by his wife and two children.