Police Officer Elvas Matthews

Elvas Matthews

Officer Elvas Matthews was shot and killed while walking his beat in downtown Xenia. A suspect approached him from behind and shot him without provocation.

The suspect was arrested a short time later after he boasted to friends that two notches on the butt of his pistol represented two dead police officers. It was determined that he had murdered Patrolman Emery McCreight, of the Wilmington Police Department, on February 15th, 1922.

The suspect was convicted of Patrolman McCreight's murder and sentenced to life in prison on February 20th, 1923. He was paroled on July 30th, 1945.

Officer Matthews had only served with the Xenia Police Department for three months.

He is buried at Lawshe Cemetery, Adams County, Ohio.