Deputy Sheriff James Albert Kempson

James Albert Kempson

Deputy Sheriff James Kempson was shot and killed near Haralson while attempting to serve a warrant on a man wanted for theft.

The man was accused of stealing gasoline from a county-owned tractor parked on Gordon Road. Deputy Kempson located the man in a field nearby and advised him he was under arrest, at which point the man asked that the warrant be read to him. As Deputy Kempson read the warrant the man pulled out a gun and shot him several times. The man then took Deputy Kempson's gun and shot him several more times as he lay in a ditch.

Deputy Kempson was taken to his home where he succumbed to his wounds four days later. The suspect was shot and killed by a posse.

Deputy Kempson had served with the Coweta County Sheriff's Office for two years. He was survived by his wife and four children.