In the winter of 1992, the quiet community of Stanton, Kentucky, was shaken by the violent deaths of two of its own law enforcement officers. Arthur Clay Briscoe, a 39-year-old white male, had been serving as a deputy with the Powell County Sheriff's Department for only six weeks. On January 30th, he and Sheriff Steve Bennett, who was also his brother-in-law, were attempting to serve felony warrants on a man named Ralph Baze Jr. at a cabin in the Little Hardwick Creek area.
The warrants were for a string of offenses out of Toledo, Ohio, including assault on a police officer and jumping bail.
A couple of weeks prior, Deputy Briscoe had visited the cabin in search of Baze, but he was not there. Baze's wife alerted him that the authorities were looking for him, prompting Baze to travel to Michigan where he purchased an SKS assault rifle. On that fateful January day, after learning Baze had returned, Deputy Briscoe went to the cabin and was met at the door by Baze, who was holding the rifle and declared he would not be arrested. Deputy Briscoe then returned with Sheriff Bennett. As the two officers stood with their guns drawn, Baze ambushed them from behind, opening fire with the assault rifle.
Sheriff Bennett was struck first, shot three times in the back. Deputy Briscoe returned fire, but he was outgunned. After emptying his weapon, he turned to run but was shot twice in the back. Baze then stood over the fallen deputy and fired a final, fatal shot to the back of his head. The shooter, Ralph Baze Jr., a twice-convicted felon, fled the scene but later surrendered to authorities after being wounded. He was subsequently convicted for the murders of both Deputy Arthur Clay Briscoe and Sheriff Steve Bennett and was sentenced to death for his crimes. Deputy Briscoe, a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, was survived by his 14-year-old son.
