City Marshal Samuel Ledford

Samuel Ledford

City Marshal Samuel Ledford was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a person for being drunk and disruptive in Gobler.

At approximately 4:00 pm, Marshal Ledford responded to a disturbance complaint. He had previously arrested the subject, who was drunk and disruptive, on multiple occasions for the same charge. As he was getting out of his car and approaching the house, the suspect pulled a .45 caliber handgun and fired five shots. Two of the bullets struck him in the chest, and one in the neck. Marshal Ledford was able to fire back, but the suspect was uninjured. Marshal Ledford was transported to Presnell Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

The suspect surrendered to the Dunklin County Sheriff's Office. The jury could not agree on the second-degree murder charge. He was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison.

Marshal Ledford was a World War II veteran. In addition to serving as the City Marshal, he also served as a deputy sheriff with the Dunklin County Sheriff's Office. He was survived by his wife and two children.