Roanoke City Police Department, Virginia
End of Watch: Monday, June 28, 1965
Age: 74
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 26, 1945
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Served nine years
Sergeant Joseph Jennings succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained 20 years earlier while attempting to arrest a man at a garage at Sixth Street and Centre Avenue Northwest in Roanoke.
He was investigating the suspect regarding the theft of an electric drill at about 7:00 pm. During the arrest, the two began to struggle, and the suspect gained control of Sergeant Jenning's weapon. The man shot him several times, including a shot that severed his spinal column and left him paralyzed.
The subject was arrested and served nine years for malicious wounding. Two years after his release, he was found guilty of second-degree murder of another man and sentenced to ten years.
Sergeant Jennings was survived by his children and grandchildren.