Night Policeman Sye Denton Bohannon

Sye Denton Bohannon

Night Policeman Sye Bohannon succumbed to gunshot wound sustained several hours earlier when he was shot by a Putnam County sheriff's deputy in a case of mistaken identity.

Policeman Bohannon had gone to the deputy's home shortly before midnight to inform him that the railroad tracks leading to the Tennessee Coal Mine had been blown up. The deputy, who had recently received death threats, believed that the persons who threatened him had come to his door and fired several shots through it, striking Policeman Bohannon several times.

He was taken to the hospital in Cookeville where he died several hours later.

The shooting was ruled accidental and no charges were filed against the deputy.

Policeman Bohannon was survived by his wife, four children, and three step-daughters.