Sheriff C. F. "Neil" Grantham

C. F. "Neil" Grantham

Sheriff Neil Grantham was shot and killed by a former prisoner as he arrived at the jail.

Sheriff Grantham ran into a former prisoner who was waiting outside the jail, parked in the sheriff's spot. The man shot the sheriff three times, then sped off to a relative's home, where he sat on the porch and waited for authorities. The sheriff was taken to the Elba General Hospital where he died of several gunshot wounds to the chest.

The suspect was convicted of the sheriff's murder and sentenced to death. In May 2007 the death sentence was overturned.