United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, U.S. Government
End of Watch: Thursday, March 5, 1896
Age:
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 5, 1896
Weapon Used: Rifle; Winchester
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy U.S. Marshal John Kirby was shot and killed in Holly Springs, South Carolina, while he and several other U.S. Marshals were bringing two men they had arrested to jail.
The Marshals had arrested the two adult brothers for operating an illegal still in the upper part of the county. They were transporting them to jail when the group stopped at a church in Holly Springs for a break. Deputy Marshal Kirby's two sons, who were also deputy marshals, had accompanied them and went to a nearby millpond to hunt ducks and a third deputy marshal had continued driving a second wagon loaded with the seized liquor.
The two prisoners were left with Deputy Marshal Kirby and one other deputy marshal. When Deputy Marshal Kirby set his rifle down to reach into their wagon one of the prisoners grabbed it and shot him in the head, killing him. The man then attempted to shoot the other deputy marshal but the rifle had no more ammunition in it. Both brothers fled the area.