Chief of Police J. E. Westbrook, McComb Police Department, Mississippi

Chief of Police J. E. Westbrook

McComb Police Department, Mississippi

End of Watch Tuesday, August 3, 1926

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J. E. Westbrook

Chief J.E. Westbrook was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant on a man for passing a forged check.

The suspect was sentenced to death, but escaped from prison while his case was being appealed to the United States Supreme Court. He was arrested in Calgary, Canada, and returned to Mississippi. He was executed by hanging on December 14, 1928.

Bio

Age Not available
Tour Not available
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Executed in 1928

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I discovered this story by accident doing genealogy on a newspaper site. I was born in the town and county this happened in fifty years ago and I live here still. This story continued until December 1928 when the killer, Robert Percy Lofton was lead out of his cell in Magnolia Mississippi and hung right there on the grounds. In-between the tragic murder of Chief Westbrook and the death sentence being carried out is a pretty incredible story of jailbreaks, contraband and manhunts worthy of being on the big screen. I came across this site while looking to find the newspaper articles again and write them out into one continuous story. I plan on when finished, sharing this story with people and I brought it up to the owners of the local history museum. I'm not law enforcement nor pretending to be. I do respect and am very grateful to our police officers.

Jacob Smith
McComb Mississippi/Pike County Historian

September 29, 2024