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Sheriff Alexander Compton | Wabash County Sheriff's Department, Illinois
Wabash County Sheriff's Department, Illinois

Sheriff

Alexander Compton

Wabash County Sheriff's Department, Illinois

End of Watch: Thursday, December 20, 1906

Biographical Info

Age: 58
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 20, 1906
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life

Sheriff Alexander Compton was shot and killed by an 17-year-old youth after he arrested his father.

Sheriff Compton had arrested the suspect's father on a breach of peace warrant taken out by his ex-wife, the suspect's mother. As he was escorting his father to jail the suspect came up behind him and shot him in the head.

The suspect and his father were arrested later that night and charged with Sheriff Compton's murder. Both were convicted of murder and sentenced to life. The father was paroled on January 19, 1925. His son applied for a parole in 1927 but the outcome is unknown.