Lee County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi
End of Watch: Friday, July 6, 2001
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 6, 2001
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Sheriff Harold Presley was shot and killed by a kidnapping suspect who had fled from police earlier in the night.
The suspect had fled the scene of a roadblock and exchanged shots with pursuing officers. He managed to elude officers during a foot chase after crashing his vehicle. Later in the evening, Sheriff Presley received a call from a homeowner whose dogs were barking.
When he arrived on the scene at approximately 4:15 a.m., he and the homeowner went to a shed on the property. When Sheriff Presley opened the door, the suspect inside immediately opened fire, striking Sheriff Presley several times. Although mortally wounded, Sheriff Presley was able to return fire and kill the suspect as well.
The kidnapping victim died of her injuries.
Sheriff Presley was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War who had served with the Lee County Sheriff's Department for 13 years and had been the sheriff for eight years. Sheriff Presley's cousin was Elvis Presley. He was survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, and his mother.