By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
Editor’s Note: We could not locate photos for all officers killed in the line of duty for Autauga or Elmore counties. If you have a photograph you would like to contribute to this article, please contact Sarah Stephens at [email protected]
UPDATE: We have added the name of Trooper Bobby Gann to the list. He lived in Prattville.
This is National Police Week which is an annual observance in the United States that honors law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. President John F. Kennedy first established this week in 1962. It includes Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15 and the week in which that date falls. The week features memorial services, vigils and events that pay tribute to fallen officers and support their families locally and across the country.
The Elmore Autauga News would like to honor those officers killed in the line of duty from Autauga and Elmore counties. We researched those officers through the Officer Down Memorial Page, which can be accessed at www.odmp.org
Once on the page you can search through all available records for officers lost in the line of duty by state, agency, year or name.
In Alabama, there are 27 pages dedicated to the memory of fallen officers, featuring their service, agency served, cause of death and when available their photos.
Officers killed in the line of duty
in Autauga and Elmore Counties
Deputy James Bart Hart, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office
Elmore County Deputy Sheriff Bart Hart was killed Nov. 23, 2014 when his patrol car was struck head-on on Firetower Road, near Marshell Road in Wetumpka, at approximately 7:45 pm.
He had just cleared the scene of another accident and was traveling south when the other vehicle crossed the center line at a high rate of speed and struck his patrol car. Despite wearing his seatbelt, Deputy Hart suffered fatal injuries. Three of the four 16-year-old occupants of the other car, including the driver, were killed in the crash. The fourth occupant suffered life-threatening injuries.
Deputy Hart served with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office for 2-1/2 years after retiring from the Montgomery Fire Department. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Officer James Dean Fezatte, Millbrook Police Department
Millbrook Police Officer James Dean Fezatte was killed March 29, 2008, in an automobile accident while responding to a civil disturbance call at approximately 10:50 pm.
His patrol car left the roadway during a period of heavy rain and struck a tree on Main Street.
Officer Fezatte was a U.S. Air Force veteran and served as a law enforcement officer in the U.S. Air Force Security Forces for 20 years. He had served with the Millbrook Police Department for one year. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two brothers.
Deputy Micah Joe Burks, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office
Sergeant Micah Burks succumbed to injuries inflicted in an automobile accident Aug. 16, 2006, from the accident that occurred four days prior.
Sergeant Burks was driving on US 31 when the driver of a vehicle made a left hand turn in front of his patrol car, causing a collision. Sergeant Burks and two passengers from the other car were ejected from the vehicles.
The other two victims were killed instantly. Sergeant Burks suffered severe head and body trauma. He was transported to Baptist Medical Center South where he died four days later.
Burks had served with the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years. He is survived by his son and daughter.
Officer Clinton Earl Walker, Prattville Police Department
Police Officer Clinton Walker was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer Jan. 14, 2004 during a training exercise at the old Wetumpka Post Office.
The officers were using mock service weapons during the training exercise, which had just been completed. Immediately following the training exercise, one of the other officers began carrying his service weapon again. Officer Walker was shot in the abdomen while standing on the loading dock of the post office. He was transported to Jackson Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds approximately 8 hours later.
Officer Walker was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Prattville Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife and parents.
Reserve Deputy John Robert Price, Autauga County Sheriff’s Office
Reserve Deputy Chief Price was shot and killed July 13, 1986 by a mentally ill suspect in Autaugaville, Alabama.
Trooper Bobby S. Gann, Alabama Department of Public Safety
Trooper Bobby Gann was shot and killed by an escaped mental patient.
Trooper Gann responded to a call about a stolen vehicle and chased the subject into a nearby abandoned house off of U.S. 31, approximately eight miles north of Prattville. Trooper Gann went into the house after the subject and was shot.
The man was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with other law enforcement officers.
Trooper Gann had served with the Alabama Department of Public Safety for 11 years. He was survived by his wife and two sons.
Deputy Alfred Wadsworth, Autauga County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Wadsworth and Deputy Clyde Tatum were killed Nov. 21, 1952, when their patrol cars collided at an intersection. Both deputies were in route to the same high-priority call when the accident occurred.
Deputy Wadsworth was survived by his wife and four children.
Deputy Clyde Tatum, Autauga County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Tatum and Deputy Alfred Wadsworth were killed Nov. 21, 1952, when their patrol cars collided at an intersection. Both deputies were in route to the same high-priority call when the accident occurred.
Deputy John Perry Edwards, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Sheriff John Edwards was shot and killed May 16, 1912, while attempting to serve an arrest warrant at a home in Deatsville.
When Deputy Edwards arrived at the home the wanted man stated he would shoot him if he entered. As Deputy Edwards attempted to force the door open the man shot him twice with a .38 caliber pistol. The subject fled the area but was arrested the following day in Prattville. He was convicted of Deputy Edwards’ murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Deputy Edwards was a Confederate Army veteran of the Civil War. He was survived by his wife. One of Deputy Edwards’ grandsons was accompanying him when he was murdered.
Acting Sheriff Andrew Marvin Mulder, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office
Acting Sheriff Andrew Mulder was shot and killed Jan. 26, 1917, by a man he was attempting to arrest. The suspect, who shot him from a house he was barricaded in, was taken into custody at the scene and charged with murder.
The suspect was hanged on January 19, 1918.
Acting Sheriff Mulder is buried in China Grove Cemetery in Elmore County.
Deputy William L. McCain, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Sheriff William McClain was shot and killed Oct. 6, 1906, from ambush by a juvenile offender who was seeking retaliation for being arrested.
The subject was convicted of Deputy McClain’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was pardoned by Governor Emmet O’Neal on November 28, 1912.
Deputy McClain had served with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office for four years. He was survived by his wife and nine children.
In the State of Alabama, the first recorded death of an officer is Silas Goree, Montgomery County Constables Office
Constable Silas Goree was stabbed to death on New Year’s Day 1829 in retaliation for having served several writs against the man who attacked him.
He was standing in front of the courthouse, near the Artesian Basin, when the man walked up to him and stabbed him in the chest without warning. The man ran from the scene but was chased by several citizens and captured. He was convicted of Constable Goree’s murder and executed by hanging on January 27th, 1832.
Constable Goree was survived by his wife and one child.
The most recent officer to die this year in the line of duty in Alabama is Mark Meadows, Irondale Police Department.
On Jan. 6, 2025, Lieutenant Mark Meadows was struck and killed by a motorist while directing traffic at Grants Mill Road and Overton Road in Irondale.
Shortly before 7:00 a.m., Lieutenant Meadows was putting out cones when he was hit. He was transported to Grandview Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.
Lieutenant Meadows was a United States Army veteran. He had served with the Irondale Police Department for 30 years and previously served with the Mountain Brook Police Department. He is survived by his wife, children, and two grandchildren.
