In the small town of Cedar Bluff, Alabama, a routine attempt to serve a warrant turned into a fatal confrontation that claimed the life of the town's police chief. William Howard Wilson, the 37-year-old Chief of Police, was shot and killed on July 29, 1973, while carrying out his duties. He had only been the police chief for three weeks at the time of his death.
The events leading to the deadly encounter began earlier in the week when two of Chief Wilson's officers were assaulted by a
local tow truck operator they were trying to serve a warrant on for refusing to present his driver's license during a traffic stop. In response, Chief Wilson went to the man's home at 3550 Old Highway 9 to arrest him for the assault on the officers.
Upon Chief Wilson's arrival, a shootout erupted between him and the suspect. During the exchange of gunfire, Chief Wilson was tragically struck in the head by a round from a 7mm hunting rifle.
The tow truck operator was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Chief Wilson's death. However, when the case was presented to a grand jury, they failed to return a true bill, and the charges were ultimately dismissed. In a surprising turn of events, the same man who had been the sole suspect in the police chief's killing was later elected as the mayor of Cedar Bluff in the early 1980s.
