Millard Owen Messersmith, a 58-year-old male, was a Deputy Sheriff with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina. On May 31, 1979, he responded to a domestic dispute between a man and his teenage daughter in Rutherford County. Upon arriving at the scene, he discovered that Captain Roy Huskey, the first officer dispatched, had already been shot in the head by the suspect as he exited his patrol car. As Deputy Messersmith began to back out of the driveway, the suspect opened fire on him, striking him in the head.
A neighbor reported the shooting to the sheriff's office, and Trooper Robert Peterson, who heard garbled radio traffic, headed toward Rutherfordton. Trooper Peterson attempted to stop the suspect's car, thinking it was a speeding vehicle, but the suspect had already murdered two deputies. Trooper Peterson was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, and his service revolver had been fired once. The suspect was later apprehended, convicted of capital murder, and executed in 1984.
The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of Deputy Sheriff Millard Owen Messersmith, Trooper Robert Peterson, and Captain Roy Huskey. Their sacrifice is remembered and honored by their fellow law enforcement officers and the community.
