North York Borough Police Department, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 21, 1929
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 21, 1929
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Patrolman Curtis Sowers was shot and killed as he and other area law enforcement officers attempted to arrest a man wanted for stealing two calves.
An arrest warrant had been issued for the man 6 months earlier, but the man fled to Virginia to avoid being arrested. The suspect eventually returned to York County and threatened to kill anyone who attempted to arrest him.
A local constable received information that the man was at his father's home. When the officers arrived, Patrolman Sowers covered the back door as the other officers went to the front door. When they knocked on the door, the man attempted to flee out the back but was confronted by Patrolman Sowers. The man opened fire with a shotgun, striking Patrolman Sowers in the face and killing him instantly.
The subject, 30, escaped but was arrested five days later by state troopers when he returned to the house in an attempt to get food. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life at hard labor. He was paroled in 1940 and returned to Eastern Penitentiary in 1950 for violating his parole. He applied for a parole in 1957.
Patrolman Sowers was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI. He had served with the North York Police Department for just under two years. He was survived by his wife.