Solano County Sheriff's Department, California
End of Watch: Friday, March 15, 1963
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: March 15, 1963
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Paroled in 1978
Deputy Sheriff Hale Humphrey was killed when he was struck by a suspect vehicle at a roadblock.
The vehicle was being chased by officers and was being driven by two suspects who had just robbed a man at a gas station and had shot and killed Officer Charles Sorenson of the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Sorenson was on patrol when he spotted the suspect vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. He gave chase to the vehicle until it crashed and then began chasing the suspects on foot. One of the suspects shot him in the neck, killing him instantly.
The two killers then stole Officer Sorenson's cruiser and led officers on a chase at speeds of 130 mph. The killers were finally stopped six miles east of Fairfield when they rammed a roadblock on Highway 12, killing Deputy Humphrey. Both suspects, ages 18 and 16, were apprehended and charged with the deaths of both officers.
The 16-year-old suspect was turned over to the California Youth Authority. The 18-year-old suspect, who was the driver and the gunman, was convicted of first-degree murder of Officer Sorenson and second-degree murder of Deputy Humphrey and sentenced to death on September 17th, 1963. On August 23rd, 1966, his sentence was commuted to life. He was paroled from Soledad Prison in September 1978.
Deputy Humphrey was a United States World War II and Korean War Navy veteran who served with the Solano County Sheriff's Department for seven years and previously served with the Fairfield Police Department. He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In 2016 a section of Highway 12 between Fairfield and Suisun City was renamed the Solano County Deputy Sheriff Hale Humphrey Memorial Highway.