Policeman George Washington Samples

George Washington Samples

Policeman George Samples succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when the father of a boy he was arresting confronted him at the county jail. The boy had resisted arrest and was forcibly taken to the jail by Policeman Samples and another officer.

During the incident, friends of the boy had notified the father, who was also a law enforcement officer in the county, of what was occuring. When the father arrived at the jail, he began to struggle with Policeman Samples and was shot in the stomach. The father then disarmed Officer Samples and shot him in the stomach as well.

Both men were taken to Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Knoxville, where Policeman Samples died the following day.

Policeman Samples was survived by his wife and 11 children.