Patrolman John F. Smith

John F. Smith

Patrolman John Smith and Deputy Sheriff Hubert Webb, of the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, were shot and killed as they and other officers attempted to arrest a fugitive.

The officers were involved in a running gun battle with the man along the banks of the Holston River just below the Old Kingsport underpass.

The suspect, 18, was wanted for murdering Deputy Sheriff Murdock McIntosh, of the Greene County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Department, on December 24th, 1924.

As the officers approached, the suspect opened fire, fatally wounding both officers. The suspect was apprehended and died on March 9, 1958, while serving his sentence in a penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi.

Patrolman Smith is buried in Pyles Cemetery, Sullivan County, Tennessee.