In the winter of 1944, the community of West Memphis, Arkansas, was shaken by the loss of one of its own. Deputy Sheriff Roy Curtis, a male officer with the Crittenden County Sheriff's Office, was shot on Saturday, February 5, 1944, while attempting to arrest a suspect in the area of Presley-junction. The encounter turned violent, and Deputy Curtis sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Following the shooting, Deputy Curtis was transported to a hospital in nearby Memphis, Tennessee, where he
fought for his life for four days. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, February 9, 1944. The loss was deeply felt within the local law enforcement community and the wider Crittenden County area.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the suspect was apprehended. The individual faced the full force of the legal system and was subsequently convicted of the first-degree murder of Deputy Sheriff Roy Curtis. In a swift administration of justice, the convicted killer was executed in the electric chair on December 1, 1944, bringing a somber conclusion to the case. The death of Deputy Curtis remains a solemn moment in the history of law enforcement in Crittenden County, a testament to the dangers faced by those who serve to protect their communities.
