Sapulpa Police Department, Oklahoma
End of Watch: Monday, January 1, 1923
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 1, 1923
Weapon Used: Rifle; .30-.30
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Patrolman Sheppard Brumley was shot and killed while he and four officers investigated a disturbance called in on North Hickory Street.
When the officers arrived at the scene, they found the location was a vacant lot. They decided to check a restaurant next door to the lot. As they walked onto the porch, the lights inside the restaurant were turned off, leaving the officers standing in the light. Shots were then fired from within the restaurant and Patrolman Brumley was struck in the head with a round from a .30-.30 rifle. The one other officer was killed, and the other four officers were wounded.
The suspect, 48, who fired the shots was arrested in Oakland, California, on September 1, 1927, after he bragged that he murdered Patrolman Brumley to a friend who then informed police. He was extradited back to Oklahoma. On February 15, 1929, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. On April 1, 1930, after being made a trustee, he simply walked away from McAlester Penitentiary. On November 4, 1932, he was recaptured in Monroe, Louisiana, and returned to the Oklahoma Penitentiary. One of the suspect's friends, who helped him evade authorities in Oklahoma, had been lynched shortly after the shooting.
Patrolman Brumley was survived by his wife and four children.
Patrolman Brumley's brother, Chief Thomas Brumley, was also shot and killed in the line of duty while serving with the Sapulpa Police Department.