Officer Willie E. Turner

Willie E. Turner

Officer Willie Turner was shot and killed while checking a cafe/pool hall.

Officer Turner stopped to check a combination cafe/pool hall in north Wynnewood. Officer Turner was off-duty, but his chief stated it was part of Officer Turner’s assignment to stop and check this area after completing his regular shift. Officer Turner became involved in a heated argument with a man. Witnesses, after hearing a shot, found the officer dead on the floor, shot once in the head with a small-caliber gun.

The man was arrested at the scene. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment on appeal. He was released from prison on August 28, 1983.

Officer Turner was a United States Vietnam veteran and had only served on the police force for three months. He was survived by his pregnant wife and five children.