Rutherford County Constable's Office, Tennessee
End of Watch: Saturday, September 7, 1878
Age: 30
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 20, 1878
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Lynched
Constable Abner Dement succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained on August 20th, 1878, while attempting to arrest a man wanted for stealing a horse.
He had accompanied the victim of the larceny to the suspect's home. Constable Dement advised the man he was under arrest and attempted to take him by the arm. The man pulled away and then shot Constable Dement in the abdomen.
The citizen who was with Constable Dement returned fire and wounded the subject. Constable Dement was taken to his home where his condition continued to deteriorate until he passed away on September 7th, 1878. The man who shot him was removed from the county jail in Murfreesboro and lynched by an angry mob after Constable Dement's death.
Constable Dement had served as the elected constable for Rutherford County's 22nd District for approximately eight years. He was survived by his wife and four children.