Letcher County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky
End of Watch: Thursday, December 24, 1931
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 11 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 24, 1931
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Deceased
Deputy Jason Webb was shot and killed by a man he had attempted to arrest earlier for drinking.
Deputy Webb was at home in his barn milking a cow on Christmas Eve, 1931. His wife and two young daughters were in the house preparing supper for the Christmas celebration when a local man whom Deputy Webb had arrested on an alcohol charge a little while prior, stood outside the barn and called for Deputy Webb.
As soon as Deputy Webb stepped from the dark barn, the suspect shot him in the chest with a double-barreled shotgun at close range. Hearing the shot, Deputy Webb's wife ran from the house to her husband as the suspect left the scene. Deputy Webb died in his wife's arms with his daughters looking on.
The 25-year-old suspect was arrested six weeks later. He was charged with murder and served three years in state prison. In 1944, he was shot and killed by a relative of Deputy Webb's widow.
Deputy Webb had served with the agency for 11 months. He was survived by his wife and children.