Washington County Sheriff's Office, Virginia
End of Watch: Monday, November 7, 1960
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 7, 1960
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Deputy McNish was shot and killed by a suspect who was holding his four sons hostage after murdering his wife, aunt, and aunt's friend the previous night. Officers had fired tear gas into the home 10 hours into the standoff, igniting a fire inside the structure. Deputy McNish was on the back porch of the home attempting to put out the fire when the suspect shot him in the chest with a rifle.
The suspect then fled from the house and committed suicide minutes later.