Chief of Police R. E. Sparks

R. E. Sparks

Chief of Police Sparks was shot and killed and an officer assisting him was critically wounded while attempting to arrest a man for being drunk and disruptive in public. As they struggled with the man he grabbed the officer's revolver and shot Chief Sparks five times and his officer once in his abdomen. A nearby store owner, who had called in the complaint, held the suspect at gunpoint until other officers arrived.

The suspect was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. On June 16, 1950, four hours before his scheduled execution, his sentence was commuted to life.

He had served with the agency for 20 years.