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Sheriff Thomas Wilson Napier | Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky

Sheriff

Thomas Wilson Napier

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky

End of Watch: Saturday, September 18, 1869

Biographical Info

Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 18, 1869
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Arrested in 1877

Sheriff Thomas Napier was shot and killed as he and the Stanford town marshal attempted to arrest a man who had fired his pistol into the ground during a night of drinking.

As the officers attempted to arrest him on Main Street, the man turned and shot Sheriff Napier in the abdomen and shoulder, mortally wounding him and wounding the town marshal.

The suspect fled the scene and avoided capture despite a massive manhunt for him. He was eventually arrested in December 1877.

Sheriff Napier had been elected sheriff in 1868 and had previously served as superintendent of the Lincoln County Poorhouse. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was survived by several siblings, nieces, and nephews.