Trooper Jerry Don Davis

Jerry Don Davis

Trooper Jerry Davis was shot and killed after stopping a vehicle for a traffic violation on U.S. 84 near Slaton.

Unaware that the vehicle was stolen, Trooper Davis stopped the vehicle for speeding. He called in the vehicle's license plate, but when he did not respond to the dispatcher, a patrol unit found him slumped over his steering wheel. He had been shot once in the head and was holding the 21-year-old suspect's driver's license in his hand. The suspect was apprehended two days later in Liberal, Kansas.

Two days later, the suspect's girlfriend, 22, smuggled a gun into the Lubbock County Jail, which was to be used by the suspect to free himself. But before he could take possession of the .38 caliber derringer, another inmate grabbed it and shot and killed himself. On February 20, 1981, he was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life. He was denied parole on November 23, 2021 and in 2024. His next parole hearing is in January 2028.

Trooper Davis had been with the Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol for just under two years and was stationed at Slaton. He was survived by his parents.