Detective Alford M. Blair

Alford M. Blair

Detective Alford Blair and Detective Joe Kitchen were shot and killed while conducting a raid on a gambling house in the Bucknertown section of the city.

During the raid, one of the gamblers shot and killed Detective Kitchen and then fled. While Detective Blair gave chase, the man turned and fired, fatally wounding Detective Blair.

The suspect escaped to Virginia, where he shot and killed Lynchburg, Virginia, Detective Arthur Mann and wounded another officer on March 27th, 1920. The suspect was eventually captured in Ohio, returned to Virginia, and executed for Detective Mann's murder.

Detective Blair had served with the Greenville Police Department for ten years and had previously served as a state constable in Columbia. He was survived by his wife, six children, father, three brothers, and two sisters.