Rural Police Officer Sampson Elisha Cole, aged 57, was shot and killed on January 1, 1905, while responding to a disturbance in Charlotte, North Carolina. Officer Cole, who served with the Mecklenburg County Police Department, was mortally wounded when a suspect he confronted opened fire on him. The incident occurred near present-day East Sugar Creek Road, where Officer Cole and his son-in-law followed the suspect back to the scene. The suspect, who had initially threatened another man with a handgun, was later arrested in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and charged with murder upon his return to Charlotte.
During the confrontation, the suspect raised his left hand but then reached into his right pocket and produced a revolver, immediately opening fire on Officer Cole and his son-in-law. Officer Cole was struck in the abdomen and neck, while his son-in-law was wounded in the chest. The suspect fled the scene but was captured several days later. The jury found the suspect guilty of manslaughter, a lesser charge, and sentenced him to two years on the county chain gang.
Officer Cole was survived by his wife and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina. His death was a tragic event that highlighted the dangers faced by law enforcement officers in the early 20th century.
