Mercer County Constable's Office, West Virginia
End of Watch: Tuesday, October 9, 1934
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 9, 1934
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Constable Joseph Davidson was shot and killed while guarding two robbery suspects who had just been arrested. The two complained of being cold and asked if they could wait in their automobile, and the request was granted.
Several minutes later they requested to get back out of their car, and as they did, one of the men shot Constable Davidson several times.
One suspect, 58, was apprehended a few days later. The other suspect, 37, was apprehended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on April 25, 1935. Both were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life. The 37-old died in prison in 1948.
Constable Davidson had served in law enforcement for 2 years. He was survived by his wife and five children.