Prohibition Officer Walter E. Blake

Walter E. Blake

Prohibition Officer Walter Blake was shot and killed while arresting a man for liquor law violations near Campbell's Creek in Kanawha County. The man initially cooperated but suddenly pulled out a handgun and shot Officer Blake in the abdomen twice.

The suspect was apprehended, convicted of first degree murder, and sentenced to life.

Officer Blake had served with the West Virginia Department of Prohibition for only seven weeks. He also served as a constable for the city of Charleston at the time of his murder. He was survived by his wife and child and is buried in Spring Fork Cemetery, Coco, Kanawha County, West Virginia.