In the late hours of an April night in 1981, the city of Columbia, Tennessee, lost a dedicated public servant. William Larry Whitwell, a 34-year-old male patrolman with the Columbia Police Department, was on duty, unaware that a routine traffic stop would tragically be his final act of service. He pulled over a vehicle for speeding through Woodland Park, a seemingly ordinary part of his nightly patrol.
The occupants of the vehicle, however, were not ordinary citizens. They had just committed a robbery at a local fast-food restaurant. As Patrolman Whitwell was communicating with the two individuals, a call came over his radio detailing the robbery. It was at that moment he noticed a money bag inside their car. A struggle quickly erupted, and in the ensuing chaos, Patrolman Whitwell was shot four times with his own handgun. He was rushed to Maury County Hospital but succumbed to his injuries during surgery.
The two suspects, one of whom was a juvenile, fled the scene but were later apprehended by law enforcement. The adult suspect faced the full force of the law and was convicted of first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence. The juvenile was tried and convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was eventually granted parole.
