Police Officer John L. Cunningham

John L. Cunningham

Police Officer John Cunningham was shot and killed while assisting other officers searching for a man who had wounded the Chief of Police and Calhoun County sheriff a short time earlier.

The chief and sheriff had attempted to arrest the man at his home for causing a disturbance near a local steel plant. The subject opened fire on them as they approached the house, striking the chief in the hip and the sheriff in his belt buckle, before fleeing.

Officer Cunningham was shot by the man when he encountered him in the western portion of the city at approximately 4:00 pm. Another officer returned fire and wounded the subject.

The 30-year-old suspect was convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 50 years, and sent to a convict work camp at the Maxine Coal Mine in Jefferson County. On April 20th, 1920, he was killed when a load of rocks fell on him.

Officer Cunningham had served with the Anniston Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife and five sons.