United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Prohibition, U.S. Government
End of Watch: Saturday, December 20, 1930
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 20, 1930
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Pardoned in 1947
Special Agent Asa Hawkins was shot and killed near Maysville, North Carolina, while he and another prohibition agent searched for moonshiners.
The two agents encountered seven men at a liquor still. A gun battle ensued in which Agent Hawkins was killed and the other agent was seriously wounded.
Six men were arrested and held in connection with Agent Hawkins' murder. The seventh, 44, was later arrested in Georgia. He had served 12 years of a 30 year sentence for second degree murder when he escaped from a North Carolina prison camp a year earlier. He confessed that he fired the shots that killed Agent Hawkins. He, his brother, and another of the seven were charged with Agent Hawkins murder. His brother had completed a eight year sentence for the same second degree murder four years earlier.
Agent Hawkins killer was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 15 to 20 years. He was paroled on June 20, 1947, when an order to do so was received from Governor Gregg Cherry. His brother was sentenced to 3 to 5 years. The other man was sentenced to two years in the Jones County Jail. Regarding the other four, one died in jail. The other three were convicted of accessory to murder and prohibition violations.
Agent Hawkins was survived by his wife.