In the summer of 1920, Walker County Deputy Sheriff Ben Barrett, a 55-year-old man with twelve years of service to his community, found himself in a fatal confrontation. On Wednesday, July 28th, he was attempting to arrest a union miner for disorderly conduct in Jasper, Alabama. The situation quickly escalated into violence. The miner, resisting arrest, produced a handgun and opened fire.
Deputy Barrett was struck by the gunfire and killed.
In the ensuing chaos, a non-union miner who had come to the deputy's aid was also fatally shot by the suspect. A stray bullet from the exchange also found a small boy, critically wounding him. The violent episode concluded when a citizen, witnessing the tragic events unfold, shot and killed the suspect at the scene.
