Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, Virginia
End of Watch: Thursday, August 17, 1905
Age:
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 17, 1905
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Charged with murder
Deputy Sheriff Robert Murphy was shot and killed in Logan County, West Virginia, after delivering a prisoner to the Logan County sheriff. The prisoner had been arrested in Buchanan County, Virginia, and was extradited back to West Virginia.
Deputy Murphy, the sheriff, and a third man were traveling on a railroad velocipede between Logan and Holden when a man fired a single shot from an ambush point along the tracks. The shot struck Deputy Murphy, killing him.
The suspect fled into the woods but was arrested later that night by a posse. Ironically, the posse was led by the suspect's father, who did not realize his son was the suspect. Investigation determined that the suspect intended to ambush a different group of men whom he had quarreled with earlier in the evening and that he opened fire on the lawmen in a case of mistaken identity. The suspect was charged with Deputy Murphy's murder.