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Sheriff Ray Compton was shot and killed while he and two deputies attempted to serve warrants on a man for illegally operating stills and selling liquor.
They were met at the door of the farmhouse by the 18-year-old wife of the suspect, who stalled while her husband ran upstairs before he fired twice, striking Sheriff Compton.
The 35-year-old suspect escaped but later died by suicide after being involved in a shootout with Cincinnati, Ohio, police officers. At the time Sheriff Compton was killed, the suspect was wanted for several homicides committed in Iowa and Missouri.
Sheriff Compton, a Republican from Rushville, was in the second year of his second, two-year term in office and survived by his wife, 15-year-old daughter, parents, brother and sister.
Clarence "Ed" Compton (1882–1970), his uncle and a deputy with the department, was appointed sheriff to serve the remainder of his nephew's term.
Historical Note • Sheriff Compton held the third-longest term in office, at three years and 277 days, of the 21 sheriffs with line of duty deaths in Indiana. |
Read more on our research at Honoring Our Fallen Sheriffs.
