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Sheriff James Virgil Griner | Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office, Georgia

Sheriff

James Virgil Griner

Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office, Georgia

End of Watch: Thursday, August 30, 1951

Biographical Info

Age:
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 26, 1951
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Died in prison

Sheriff Griner and Jailer John Smith were shot and killed after they stopped a vehicle to search for whiskey. The suspect opened fire on both men, killing Jailer Smith and mortally wounding Sheriff Griner. The sheriff was transported to an Atlanta hospital where he succumbed to his wounds four days later.

After hiding in a south Georgia swamp for three weeks, the suspect surrendered to a Georgia state trooper. On April 23, 1952, he was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life. He died in prison April 3, 1959.