Deputy Sheriff Joseph Elmer Whitworth

Joseph Elmer Whitworth

Deputy Whitworth was shot and killed during a barricade situation after a suspect fled from another deputy who tried to stop him for speeding.

The 25-year-old suspect fled to his nearby trailer, where he barricaded himself. He opened fire on several deputies when a tear gas bomb was fired through a window. After a three-hour gun battle, Deputy Whitworth was hit in the head with a load of buckshot as he fired another tear gas bomb into the trailer. The suspect was arrested and charged with murder.

At his trial, the suspect said he was in bed asleep when a tear gas bomb came through his window. He said he opened fire because he thought the deputies were criminals trying to kill him and his family. He was acquitted.

Deputy Whitworth had been with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office for one year. He was survived by his wife and two sons.