Harris County Sheriff's Office, Texas
End of Watch: Friday, March 22, 1974
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 22, 1974
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 40 years
Deputy Sheriff Jimmie McKay and his wife, Rose Sharon McKay, were shot and killed after he stopped a vehicle in the 2000 block of Hayes Road, near Westheimer Road, while working a secondary employment assignment at his apartment complex.
Deputy McKay's personal vehicle was equipped with emergency lights and a sheriff's department radio. Two motorists found Deputy McKay's body on the side of the road and Mrs. McKay's body in the front seat of the patrol car. Both had been shot and killed.
The case remained unsolved until 1997 when cold case detectives began to interview previous suspects. One of the men confessed to murdering Deputy McKay during the traffic stop and ordering his accomplice to murder Mrs. McKay. In 2000 the man who shot Deputy McKay, who was serving a 50-year prison sentence in Oklahoma, was sentenced to 40 additional years. The accomplice also pleaded guilty to murdering Mrs. McKay.
Deputy McKay and his wife were survived by three children.