In the late summer of 1964, a dedicated lawman's life was tragically cut short in the small town of Elba, Alabama. Charles Herman Driggers, a 40-year-old White / Caucasian male, served his community as the Assistant Chief of Police. On September 2nd of that year, he was tasked with serving a peace warrant, a duty that would unexpectedly place him in mortal danger.
Accompanied by a Coffee County Deputy Sheriff, Assistant Chief Driggers approached the residence of the individual named in
the warrant. As they neared the home, the man inside, without warning, opened fire with a shotgun. The sudden and violent ambush left Driggers fatally wounded. The deputy sheriff who was with him was also injured in the attack. The life of Assistant Chief Driggers was ended in an instant, a profound loss for his family and the community he had sworn to protect.
The assailant, a 42-year-old man, was swiftly apprehended. His violent act did not go unpunished. On December 9, 1964, he was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Assistant Chief Driggers and was handed the most severe sentence possible: death. However, the course of justice took a turn nearly six years later. On June 4, 1970, the then-Governor of Alabama, Albert Brewer, indefinitely suspended the man's execution date, altering the final consequence of his deadly actions.
