In the summer of 1909, in the small town of Ravenel, South Carolina, a routine law enforcement action turned deadly, claiming the life of Deputy Dispensary Constable John Dozier Altman. The incident unfolded at the town's railroad station when Dispensary Constable Pinkney Fishburne attempted to stop a man from leaving with a keg of contraband whiskey in his horse and buggy.
Fishburne had deputized Altman to assist him in the confiscation.
When Constable Fishburne confronted the man and informed him that he had to surrender the illicit alcohol, the situation escalated dramatically. The man, unwilling to part with his contraband, suddenly produced a handgun and opened fire. Constable Fishburne was struck in the chest, and the assailant then turned his weapon on Deputy Constable Altman, inflicting a mortal wound. The shooter fled the scene immediately after the violent encounter.
Despite his severe injuries, Deputy Constable Altman was transported to a hospital in Charleston for medical attention. Tragically, he succumbed to his wounds three days after the shooting. Constable Fishburne died from his injury about an hour after being shot. A short time after the incident, law enforcement apprehended the man responsible for the deaths of both officers. He was subsequently convicted of manslaughter and received a 20-year prison sentence for his crimes.
