St. Clar County Sheriff's Department, Illinois
EOW: Friday, August 1, 1924
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, August 1, 1924
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Apprehended
Deputy Edward Carr was shot and killed while recapturing a suspect who had fled after his arrest. Deputy Carr and other deputies were attempting to recapture an alleged automobile thief who had hidden in a theater after breaking away from the deputies following his arrest. Deputy Carr was shot in the abdomen by another deputy's revolver while the suspect was struggling to gain possession of the weapon.
From the Officer Down Memorial Page.
This following is from Deputy Carr’s grand daughter Mary Harp.
"I am trying to get some copies made of some very old newspapers from the 1924 period- The East St. Louis Journal. It has a very compelling story of how he fought so hard to overcome the gunshot wound- finally losing his battle. We happened upon these papers in the early 1990's and it was the first time my dad (Joseph Carr), got to read about the incident and the story of his own dad's life. My dad was 4 years old when his father was killed. I can tell you that is was extremely touching to see how moved my dad was by the newspaper stories which depicted his father's fight for life.
Deputy Edward J. Carr has two living children. Dorothy Quinn, who lives in Virginia and who is in good health, and Augusta Medley who lives in Texas, in failing health. Over the years, our family has participated in the memorials at the St. Clair County jail. My brother, Mike Carr, a federal prosecutor, has had his son play his trumpet for some of the past events. When my own dad died in August of 2006, the family designated the Backstoppers for memorials as we deeply appreciated the loss he felt from never really knowing his own father.”
Thanks to Kevin Gordon for sharing this.
