Joseph W. Floyd, a 46-year-old male of Caucasian ethnicity, was an agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Internal Revenue. He was killed in Houston, Texas, on May 17, 1922, while attempting to serve a search warrant. Floyd was shot by a suspect as he entered the garage of the suspect's residence. Newspaper accounts of the incident indicated that Floyd's weapon had not been fired and the search warrant was still in his pocket.
The incident occurred when Floyd,
accompanied by another agent, stopped a suspicious truck loaded with illicit liquor. When they attempted to place brothers Leon and T.C. Briggs under arrest, a gunfight ensued, and Floyd was killed. The residence from which the truck departed was later searched, and a quantity of narcotics was seized. The Briggs brothers were prosecuted by the state for the murder of Agent Floyd.
Floyd was regarded as an officer of the highest caliber, intelligence, and fearlessness. He was survived by his wife, Yetta, and their four children: Louisa, Jo, Carmen, and Joseph Jr. Thousands of dollars' worth of liquor, a quantity of drugs, and several weapons, including two automatic pistols, were seized during the operation.
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