Fentress County Constable's Office, Tennessee
End of Watch: Sunday, May 7, 1972
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 7, 1972
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Constable Thomas York was shot and killed while investigating an accident on U.S. Highway 127 near Jamestown, Tennessee.
A man notified Constable York of the accident while the constable was at home in bed. Constable York met the man and began to drive to the accident scene when some sort of trouble started between the two men.
Constable York stopped the car, and both men began to struggle on the side of the road. Constable York shot the suspect three times, but the man was able to gain control of Constable York's service weapon and shot him in the head, killing him. The suspect also succumbed to his wounds at the scene of the shooting.
Constable York was a United States Air Force veteran and was the son of U.S. Army Sergeant Alvin C. York, the famous American hero of World War I. He was survived by his wife and four children.
He is buried in Wolf River Cemetery, Pall Mall, Fentress County, Tennessee.