Mississippi Department of Public Safety - Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi
End of Watch: Monday, May 16, 1966
Age: 24
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: D-51
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 16, 1966
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Trooper Tommy Kendall was shot and killed while manning a one-man roadblock on U.S. Highway 49, near Minter City, following a robbery in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
The suspects encountered the roadblock and opened fire, striking Trooper Kendall three times. He was transported to a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, where he succumbed to his wounds. The suspects were apprehended and sentenced to life. Both men subsequently died in prison.
Trooper Kendall had been with the agency for two years. He was survived by his wife and two-year-old son, who followed in father's footsteps and became a Mississippi state trooper.
A section of U.S. Highway 49, in Leflore County, was dedicated as the Trooper Tommy E. Kendall Memorial Highway.