Chief of Police J. B. Hamby

J. B. Hamby

Chief of Police J.B. Hamby was shot and killed after responding to a robbery in progress at a local driver's licensing station.

Upon arriving he engaged two suspects in gunfire, fatally wounding one of them, and was wounded himself. Chief Hamby went outside to reload his revolver, giving the second suspect an opportunity to escape. Chief Hamby stumbled to a nearby laundromat for assistance and succumbed to his wounds on the floor.

The second suspect was eventually apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison. A ballistics test of the gun he used determined that he shot Chief Hamby. On October 28th, 1985, he escaped from prison. His case aired on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries on October 7th, 1992, and an anonymous tip led to his arrest in Spearfish, South Dakota. He was returned to prison and received additional time for escape. He was denied parole in 2008.

Chief Hamby was the only officer on the Catoosa Police Department and had served in law enforcement for 20 years. He was survived by his two sons and is buried in Hamby Cemetery, Jay, Delaware County, Oklahoma.