Naples Police Department, Florida
End of Watch: Saturday, November 6, 1954
Age: 45
Tour of Duty: 1 month
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 6, 1954
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Officer Carl Strickland was shot and killed from ambush by a man he had encountered about 15 minutes earlier.
Officer Strickland had broken up a fight between two men in the McDonalds Quarter. He warned the men to go home or that he would arrest them. When the subjects left the scene, one of them went home and obtained a .38 caliber pistol.
At approximately 10:30 pm the man ambushed and shot Officer Strickland between two houses. Officer Strickland's service revolver was still holstered and his flashlight was shining when he was found.
His killer, 52, fled the scene but turned himself in to the Collier County sheriff two days later. He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Officer Strickland was the first black police officer to serve with the Naples Police Department, and had been with the agency for only 30 days. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and mother.