Grant Police Department, Alabama
End of Watch: Friday, August 15, 2003
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 28 years
Badge Number: 360
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 15, 2003
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Chief Vernon LeMaster was shot and killed after he and two deputies responded to a location to recover a stolen handgun at 10:30 am.
Chief LeMaster accompanied Marshall County and Madison County deputies to a home on Cathedral Caverns Highway in search of the weapon shortly after 10:00 am. The officers confronted the two juvenile suspects in the house, and shots were exchanged. During the gunfight, Chief LeMaster was shot in the face. He was flown to Huntsville Hospital, where he died at 11:45 am.
One suspect was shot and wounded by deputies in return gunfire. Both suspects were arrested and charged as adults with capital murder and attempted murder. Both were subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Chief LeMaster had a total of 28 years of law enforcement experience and had served with the Grant Police Department for 20 years. He had served as the chief for 13 years. He is survived by his daughter, sister, father, and brother.
The town of Grant is a mountaintop community of about 700 people in northeast Marshall County.