On September 1, 1978, the town of Catoosa, Oklahoma, lost its sole police officer, Chief J. B. Hamby, a 46-year-old male, in a violent shootout. A veteran of 20 years in law enforcement, Hamby was responding to a robbery in progress at a local driver's licensing station. Upon his arrival, he was met by two armed suspects and gunfire immediately erupted.
During the exchange, Chief Hamby was wounded but managed to fatally shoot one of the assailants.
Needing to reload his revolver, he stepped outside, which provided the second suspect with an opportunity to flee the scene. Despite his injuries, Hamby made his way to a nearby laundromat seeking help, where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds on the floor.
The deceased suspect at the scene was later identified as Jackie Ray Young, who was determined to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The second suspect, David Gordon Smith, who was also wounded during the gunfight, managed to escape in a car. He was later apprehended on the same day after being transported by ambulance to a hospital in Tulsa.
David Gordon Smith was subsequently charged with the murder of Chief Hamby under the felony-murder doctrine. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. In a dramatic turn of events, Smith escaped from prison on October 28, 1985. His case gained national attention when it was featured on an episode of 'Unsolved Mysteries' in 1992. An anonymous tip generated by the show led to his recapture in Spearfish, South Dakota. He was returned to prison to continue serving his life sentence, with additional time added for the escape. His request for parole was denied in 2008.
