In the late summer of 1930, the city of Little Rock was dealing with the aftermath of a jailbreak from the Pulaski County Jail. Among the lawmen tasked with tracking down the fugitives was Detective Sergeant Samuel Neal McDermott, a 31-year-old male who had been with the Little Rock Police Department for two years after serving as a deputy sheriff.
While investigating behind the National Cemetery, he encountered two of the six escaped men.
During the attempt to take the two suspects into custody, a confrontation ensued, and McDermott was shot. His injuries were grave, and after fighting for his life for a week, he passed away on September 3, 1930. His death left behind a wife and two daughters.
The man responsible for the fatal shooting of Detective Sergeant McDermott was eventually captured and held accountable for his actions. He received a death sentence for the murder of the officer. However, his sentence was later commuted to a life term. The story of the suspect did not end there. On August 18, 1933, he was shot and killed during an attempt to escape from the Tucker Prison Farm, bringing a final, violent end to the chapter that began with the death of the dedicated officer.
