Wewoka Police Department, Oklahoma
End of Watch: Saturday, June 27, 1953
Age: 66
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 27, 1953
Weapon Used: Shotgun; 12 gauge
Suspect Info: Died in mental institution
Chief of Police Joseph Cotton was shot and killed when he and an officer responded to a report of a former mental patient brandishing a shotgun.
When they arrived on the scene the man opened fire, fatally wounding Chief Cotton. The other officer, also hit by a shotgun blast, returned fire seriously wounding the suspect.
The 60-year-suspect was adjudged insane and committed at the state mental institution where he died on September 19, 1954.
Chief Cotton had served with the Wewoka Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by nine children. He was preceded in death by two wives and one child.