Chief of Police William E. Brinkley

William E. Brinkley

Chief of Police William Brinkley was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a man wanted in another state.

Chief Brinkley had received a telegram notifying him that the escaped convict would be arriving at the Suffolk train station with illegal liquor. Chief Brinkley and another officer went to the station to arrest the man. They were standing in the station doorway when the suspect exited the train. The suspect saw the officers and immediately opened fire, striking Chief Brinkley in the abdomen. The suspect was shot and killed while exchanging shots with the other officer, who was taking cover behind a train wheel.

Chief Brinkley was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds two days later. The other officer involved in the shootout, Patrolman Joseph S. Pratt, was shot and killed in the line of duty on October 20, 1935.

Chief Brinkley had been with the Suffolk Police Department for 18 years. He was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.