Deputy Sheriff Dennis Lee Sheffield, aged 23, was shot and killed on February 15, 1984, while serving a civil summons in Troy, North Carolina. Sheffield and two other deputies arrived at a residence on Page Street to seize property worth $78,000 to satisfy a debt. Sheffield went to the front door while another deputy went to the rear. After several minutes of knocking, the subject opened the door and shot Sheffield in the chest. The suspect was then shot and killed by the other officers on the scene.
Sheffield had served with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office for two years and had been in law enforcement for four years. His death was ruled as a line-of-duty shooting. The suspect was not named in the sources, and there were no further details on arrests, suspects, litigations, or investigations related to Sheffield's death.
Sheffield's ethnicity was not specified in the sources, but he is remembered and honored by the law enforcement community for his sacrifice. His memorial can be found at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Troy, North Carolina.
