Mannington Police Department, West Virginia
End of Watch: Saturday, February 28, 1959
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 28, 1959
Weapon Used: Handgun; .32 caliber
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Chief Amos Morris was shot and killed while transporting two suspects to the Fairmont Jail. The couple that he had arrested included a runaway female and a male wanted for writing bad checks. He was transporting the two to Fairmont because Mannington did not have a jail. Additionally, Chief Morris only carried his handgun on Saturday nights since the crime rate was so low in Mannington.
During the transport the male suspect pulled a .32 caliber handgun from his pocket and ordered him to pull over. Chief Morris told the man not to do anything he would be sorry as the female suspect begged the suspect to put the gun down. The suspect then shot Chief Morris several times. The suspects fled the scene but the female suspect later fled from the male suspect and turned herself in. The male suspect fled to North Carolina where he committed suicide as police closed in on him.
Chief Morris had been in law enforcement for 20 years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.