Floyd County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 12, 1972
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 2 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 12, 1972
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Charged with murder
Deputy Sheriff Lawrence Conley was shot and killed from ambush as he stood outside of his patrol car at a service station in Garrett at approximately 11:45 pm.
The service station had closed for the night, and Deputy Conley had pulled in and parked, facing the highway. He had gone to Garrett to meet with a county constable to discuss an assault case he was investigating. At some point, someone approached and shot him twice at close range with a 12-gauge shotgun, killing him instantly.
The suspect was apprehended in 1974 and charged with murder. A judge reduced the charges and granted the suspect a five-year sentence that the state Supreme Court overruled. The results of the subsequent trial are unknown.
Deputy Conley had served with the Floyd County Sheriff's Office for 14 months. He was survived by two children and his parents.