J.W. Hawkins

Death by Force

In the spring of 1904, a violent incident at a political rally in Lawton, Oklahoma, resulted in the death of Assistant Chief of Police J.W. Hawkins, a 37-year-old male. The altercation, which occurred on April 4, 1904, stemmed from a disagreement between Hawkins and the editor of a local newspaper. When Hawkins appeared at the rally, the editor fatally shot him.

Following the shooting, the newspaper editor was arrested and charged with the death of Hawkins. He claimed self-defense in the ...Read More