Special Deputy Sheriff Joseph L. Walker

Joseph L. Walker

Special Deputy Sheriff Joe Walker was shot and killed while as he and other members of a posse pursued a truck containing fives bank robbery suspects into Edgar County, Illinois.

The subjects had robbed a bank in Clinton, Indiana, and fled toward Dana, Indiana. A posse was formed in Dana and attempted to intercept the vehicle as it drove through town. A pursuit ensued that entered Edgar County, Illinois. During the pursuit the suspects fired a machine gun mounted in the back of a truck, fatally wounding Deputy Walker.

The pursuit ended in a cornfield where two of the subjects committed suicide. A third suspect was wounded the last two remaining suspects were apprehended.

Deputy Walker was transported to a hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he succumbed to his wounds the following day.

Deputy Walker was survived by his wife.