In the summer of 1922, Detective Sergeant John W. Cabiness of the Little Rock Police Department was a five-year veteran of the force. On Saturday, August 12th, while on duty, he and his partner were working amidst the tense atmosphere of a railroad strike.
Tragically, their shift took a fatal turn when they were confronted by Special Deputy Marshal Will Cross of the United States Marshals Service. In a fatal case of mistaken identity, Deputy Cross believed Sergeant Cabiness and his partner were strikers intending to cause him harm. Without warning, he opened fire, and Sergeant Cabiness was struck by the marshal's bullet.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Sergeant Cabiness's partner returned fire, killing Deputy Cross at the scene. Despite his partner's swift reaction, Detective Sergeant John W. Cabiness succumbed to the gunshot wound he sustained. The incident, born from a tragic misunderstanding during a period of civil unrest, ended with the deaths of two law enforcement officers.
