Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Florida
End of Watch: Saturday, January 19, 1974
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 19, 1974
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed; Life in prison
Deputy Charles Wilkerson was shot and killed when he stopped two suspects who had just committed an armed robbery.
At the time, Deputy Wilkerson did not know the robbery had occurred. He had stopped the suspects on Interstate 10 near Pine Forest Road for a routine traffic stop. He talked to the men in the vehicle and went back to his patrol car. The driver exited his vehicle and shot Deputy Wilkerson twice in his head. The men fled to Alabama.
One of the suspects was shot and killed a short time later. The driver was sentenced to death, but his sentence was overturned to life in prison.
Deputy Wilkerson was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office for two years. He was survived by his son, two stepsons, his mother, and a sister.