Jacquelyn Kay Sherrill, a trailblazer known to friends and colleagues as Jackie, was a woman of many firsts. Born in California in 1951, she moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at a young age and set a course that would break barriers. In 1974, she joined the Hattiesburg Police Department, becoming the city's first female police officer. Her dedication and skill were recognized, and in September 1983, she was promoted to sergeant and detective, another first for a woman in her department. In her personal life, she was married to a fellow officer, Sergeant Charles R. Sherrill, whom she met while studying at the University of Southern Mississippi. She was a wife and mother, remembered by her husband as a partner in life and on the force, whose memory he and her children and grandchildren cherish.
The last day of 1984 brought a tragic end to her distinguished career.
On New Year's Eve, Sergeant Sherrill, 33, was part of a team of four officers assigned to serve an arrest warrant at a residence on East Side Avenue. The warrant was for Noah Wheeler, a 48-year-old man accused of incest involving a juvenile. While three uniformed officers approached the front of the house, Sergeant Sherrill, who was in plain clothes but reportedly had her badge and a gun holster visible on her belt, went to cover the back of the residence to prevent an escape.
As the officers at the front door engaged with Wheeler, the situation quickly deteriorated. He became agitated and suddenly charged through a screen door, attacking the officers. A violent struggle ensued on the ground, during which Wheeler managed to wrestle a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver away from one of the officers. He began firing wildly. The first shot struck another officer, but the bullet only parted his hair, causing no serious injury.
Hearing the gunshots from the back of the house, Sergeant Sherrill ran toward the front porch to help her colleagues. As she arrived to provide assistance, Wheeler fired again. The bullet struck her in the chest, piercing her heart. Her fellow officers rushed her to Forrest General Hospital, but her injury was too severe, and she was pronounced dead on arrival. Sergeant Jacquelyn Kay Sherrill, a white female, became the first female law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty in the state of Mississippi.
Noah Wheeler was taken into custody at the scene and subsequently charged with capital murder. His trial concluded on May 4, 1986, with a jury finding him guilty. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, the case went through an appeals process, and in July 1989, the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the death sentence. The court's ruling cited a reasonable doubt as to whether Wheeler knew Sherrill was a police officer when he shot her, given that she was not in uniform.
Following the high court's decision, Wheeler's sentence was commuted to life in prison. According to her husband, Wheeler died in prison sixteen years after killing Sergeant Sherrill. For her family, New Year's Eve remains a day of solemn remembrance. "It seems like yesterday," her husband, Charlie Sherrill, wrote in a post 38 years after her death. "Her children, grandchildren (who never got to meet her) and I are doing fine now... I want to keep her memory alive."
The city of Hattiesburg has not forgotten its fallen hero. Sergeant Sherrill is one of six officers honored by the Hattiesburg Police Department during its annual Police Week memorials. In a lasting tribute, the city also named a local community center the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center in her honor, ensuring that her sacrifice and pioneering spirit continue to be remembered by the community she dedicated her life to protecting.
