On a tragic day in Augusta, Georgia, the lives of two young sisters were cut short in a horrifying act of violence. Two-year-old Mary Kathleen Hofer, a female, and her four-year-old sister, Vicki Ann Hofer, were killed by their estranged father on June 14, 1959. The series of events that led to their deaths began as a domestic dispute, which escalated into a deadly confrontation that also claimed the life of a police officer.
The incident unfolded at a residence on Wrightsboro Road.
The girls' mother had called the police to report that her estranged husband had broken into the home. Responding to the call, Officer Joe Reynolds of the Augusta Police Department, along with another officer, arrived at the scene. Upon their arrival, the girls' father, Clarence M. 'Buddy' Chalker, confronted them with a handgun. Officer Reynolds, an 18-year veteran of the force, drew his weapon and shot Chalker.
Despite being wounded, Chalker managed to return fire, fatally shooting Officer Reynolds. As the second officer, who had exhausted his ammunition, retreated from the house, Chalker proceeded to shoot and kill his two young daughters. Following the murders of his children and the police officer, Chalker then took his own life. The violent episode left three people, including the two young sisters, dead, and a community in mourning. Due to the perpetrator's suicide at the scene, there were no subsequent arrests or trials.
