Sheriff Roy F. "Doc" Holley

Roy F. "Doc" Holley

Sheriff Roy Holley was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a farmer who had shot and killed a neighboring farmer in Ross Township.

The neighbor was cutting down a tree, and the suspect mistakenly thought the tree was on his property. Sheriff Holley and four deputies entered the man's home and told him he was under arrest. The suspect ran up the stairs with the officers in pursuit. As Sheriff Holley neared the top, the man turned and fired a shotgun, striking Sheriff Holley twice.

The deputies grabbed the sheriff and retreated to a back porch. As they attempted to move him to the vehicle, the man came out and opened fire on them a second time, wounding three deputies. The suspect eventually committed suicide after a four-hour shootout with authorities in which four Gary police officers were wounded.

Sheriff Holley had served with the Lake County Sheriff's Department for four years, having just begun serving his second term as the 31st sheriff of Lake County. He was survived by his wife, who was appointed sheriff to serve the remainder of her husband's term, and twin 16-year-old daughters. Sheriff Holley's wife was the second female to serve as a sheriff in the state of Indiana.

Sheriff Holley is buried in Beaver City Cemetery, Newton County, Indiana.