Woodville Police Department, Mississippi
End of Watch: Saturday, June 14, 1969
Age: 57
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 14, 1969
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Released in 1973
Patrolman Liberty was shot and killed while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a man in a local bar.
Patrolman Liberty and his partner were forced to leave when several men interfered with their attempt to arrest the man. As they dealt with an unruly mob outside the bar, shots rang out from a nearby alley. Patrolman Liberty, shot four times in the back, managed to return fire, wounding a man who would later be charged with his murder.
The suspect, 47, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. In 1973 he was released from prison when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his trial was mishandled. Another man confessed to the murder and then repudiated his confession. The judge refused to allow the suspect's attorney question the subject.