Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma
End of Watch: Friday, August 24, 1917
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 24, 1917
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Apprehended
Undersheriff Grover Fulkerson was shot and killed while attempting to stop a vehicle that was running bootleg liquor.
The suspect was apprehended and charged with murder but convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years. He was released under a $20,000 bond pending his appeal. A few days later, he shot and killed Deputy James Coffee of the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Department, Texas, when he stopped him for running liquor out of his county and across the Oklahoma border. He was convicted of Deputy Coffee's murder and sentenced to 99 years. His sentence was later reduced to 12 years, and he was released in 1925. Texas authorities failed to tell Oklahoma authorities he had been released. He was arrested several days later in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and sent to Mcallister Penitentiary to serve his four years.
Undersheriff Fulkerson was survived by his wife and three children. He was predeceased by a fourth son.