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Deputy Sheriff Jesse L. English | Houston County Sheriff's Department, Texas
Houston County Sheriff's Department, Texas

Deputy Sheriff

Jesse L. English

Houston County Sheriff's Department, Texas

End of Watch: Monday, May 28, 1923

Biographical Info

Age: 35
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 27, 1923
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Escaped from prison, At large

Deputy Sheriff Jessie English was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest two men who had escaped from the Ferguson State Prison Farm.

Deputy English, along with the Houston County sheriff and Grapeland city marshal, had received word the men would be in the area and began searching for them. Deputy English encountered the men along a dirt road at approximately 11:00 p.m. After ordering them to stop three times, one of the men opened fire with a shotgun, striking Deputy English in the head. He died from his wounds approximately 7 hours later.

Both men were apprehended after the shooting. On November 4, 1923, the suspect, 29, who shot Deputy English was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He escaped from Ramsey Prison Farm on May 15, 1932.

Deputy English was survived by his wife and three children.