Chief of Police Zeb Winters

Zeb Winters

Chief of Police Zeb Winters was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for being drunk in public.

The man had come into town and sent word to Chief Winters that he was in town and drunk. Chief Winters arrested him but was attacked while taking him to jail. The man gained control of Chief Winters' .44 caliber revolver and shot him several times before beating him with the pistol.

The subject was arrested and charged with murder. The trial was held in Boone, North Carolina, and he was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years. He escaped prison but was captured in Oregon a couple of years later.

Chief Winters had only served with the Elk Park Police Department for six months. He was survived by his wife, three children, mother, and six brothers. Close to 12 men who were descendants of Chief Winters served in law enforcement in Avery County, North Carolina, and Carter County, Tennessee, in the decades after his murder.