Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina
End of Watch Sunday, May 8, 1932
Add to My HeroesJames A. Robertson
Deputy James Robertson was shot and killed as he and another deputy investigated suspicious activity at the Spray Grade School at 2240 hours.
Citizens who lived nearby had called authorities to report that several lights in the school were on.
Because the school house had recently been entered by vandals, Deputy Robertson and the other deputy expected to encounter young kids at the school. As they proceeded to the school, Deputy Robertson encountered two men and approached them. As he did so, both men opened fire on him with a .32 caliber pistol and a .38 caliber pistol. Deputy Robertson was struck eight times and fatally wounded.
The two suspects, who were escapees from a federal prison in Fayetteville, were identified and a reward was offered for their arrest. One of the suspects was arrested in Englewood, Ohio, on July 13, 1932, after seriously wounding a Cincinnati detective in a shootout. The second suspect was shot and killed in a shootout with officers in Kentucky in August 1932.
The suspect arrested in Ohio was eventually extradited to North Carolina where he was convicted of murdering Deputy Robertson and a store owner, who had been murdered several days before Deputy Robertson was killed. The suspect was sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair on August 4, 1933.
Deputy Robertson served with the agency for 5 years and served as the chief deputy of the Spray. He was survived by his wife and five children.
Bio
- Age 50
- Tour 3 years
- Badge Not available
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Handgun; .32 caliber
- Offender Shot and killed
Most Recent Reflection
View all 13 ReflectionsMy father, Mac, left his reflection here in 2006. Sadly, he passed Thanksgiving week, November 2014. He spoke of you many times, sharing stories of your family and what a great patriarch you were. I’m glad he shared those wonderful stories with me.
Love, your great-grandson,
Jim (named after you)
James Robertson
Great-grandson
October 19, 2020
Recent LODD Deaths

Police Officer Carl Douglas Kimball
St. Francisville Police Department, LA
EOW: January 12, 2023

Deputy Sheriff Darnell Calhoun
Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: January 13, 2023

Court Services Officer Curtis Matthew Worland
Alaska State Troopers, AK
EOW: December 13, 2022

Chief of Police Justin McIntire
Brackenridge Borough Police Department, PA
EOW: January 2, 2023

Deputy Sheriff Isaiah Cordero
Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: December 29, 2022

Corporal Ray Charles Hamilton
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: December 24, 2022

Deputy Sheriff Corey D. McElroy
Garrett County Sheriff's Office, MD
EOW: December 21, 2022

Detective Paul Daniel Newell
Benton County Sheriff's Office, AR
EOW: December 17, 2022

Chief of Police Joe Carey
Brodnax Police Department, VA
EOW: December 16, 2022