Constable John L. Taylor

John L. Taylor

Constable John Taylor was shot and killed during a foot pursuit of a rape suspect.

He and another constable had responded to a rape call, and when they arrived on the scene, the suspect fled in a vehicle. The man crashed the vehicle and then fled on foot. As Constable Taylor approached the man near Forbes Road and South Main Street, he was shot in the face and killed.

When the suspect was eventually apprehended in Virginia, it was discovered that he had escaped a Virginia State Prison. He was convicted of first-degree murder and executed in the gas chamber on November 3rd, 1944.

He was survived by his wife, daughter, parents, two brothers, and four sisters.