Lieutenant Thomas Jackson Meredith

Thomas Jackson Meredith

Lieutenant Tommy Meredith was shot and killed while investigating a robbery call and kidnapping at 2:30 a.m.

Four men had invaded the home of a grocery store owner and forced him to drive to another co-owner's residence to steal $20,000. The police department was called, and Lieutenant Meredith was dispatched to the scene. When he arrived, he surveyed the house under darkness before going and knocking on the door. One of the hostages yelled that it was the police, and the suspects opened fire. Lieutenant Meredith entered the home and chased the robbers through the house. Once he went through the back door, one of the suspects fired at him at point-blank range, striking him in the chest.

Three suspects, 25, 32, and 32, were apprehended during the next few days: two in Florida and the other in New York City. On March 20, 1974, all three were convicted of murder, kidnapping, and robbery. Two were sentenced to life. One, 32, identified as the triggerman, was sentenced to death. In 1988, he was granted a new trial. On March 1, 1989, he was convicted of the exact charges but sentenced to life. He was paroled in 2016. The fourth suspect, 33, still at large, was placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. On October 1, 1974, he was captured by FBI agents in Jacksonville, Florida. On January 28, 1975, he was convicted of the same charges as the others and sentenced to life plus 20 years.

Lieutenant Meredith had served with the Moultrie Police Department for 23 years and was scheduled to retire in six months. He was survived by his wife and four children.