Captain John A. Singleton

John A. Singleton

Captain John Singleton, Guard Arnold Davis, and Guard James Fletcher were shot and killed during an escape of 12 prisoners from the Angola Prison.

The prisoners had obtained several firearms and attempted to force Captain Singleton to escort them out of the prison. He was shot several times when he refused. The inmates then attempted to gain access to the armory but were confronted by Trustee Guard Arnold Davis and Guard James Fletcher, who were both killed in the ensuing shootout.

After gaining obtaining numerous weapons from the armory the men then stole a car from the visitors lot and fled through the main gate. One of the inmates was killed as guards fired into the vehicle as it drove through the gate.

One of the ringleaders of the escape had previously been convicted of murdering Policeman Hence Giles, of the Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department on July 16th, 1926, and Constable Lee Selman, of Little River County, Arkansas, on June 19th, 1928. The man was arrested the following month and charged with Captain Singleton's murder. Several trials ended in mistrial and he was eventually returned to Arkansas to finish his sentence there.

Captain Singleton was survived by his wife.