Letcher County Constable's Office, Kentucky
End of Watch: Thursday, August 24, 1916
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 4, 1916
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Arrested
Deputy Constable Joel Wright succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained 20 days earlier when he was shot by a young girl while arresting the girl's father on a warrant. The girl saw Deputy Wright holding his pistol and she ran up to him, grabbed his pistol, and shot him in the back. The 16-year-old girl and her father were both arrested after the shooting.
Two of Deputy Wright's second cousins were shot and killed in the line of duty while serving as law enforcement officers in Letcher County. Deputy William Wright was shot and killed on April 11, 1901, while serving the Letcher County Sheriff's Department, and Deputy Constable Booker Wright was shot and killed on November 7, 1932, while serving with the Letcher County Constable's Office.
Deputy Constable Wright was survived by his wife. He is buried in Potter Cemetery, Jenkins, Letcher County, Kentucky.