In the winter of 1978, a dedicated public servant, 70-year-old Deputy Sheriff Kirby Shell, met a tragic and untimely end in the wooded expanse of the Homochitto National Forest in Franklin County, Mississippi. A male with 18 years of service with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, including three terms as the elected sheriff, Shell was a respected figure in his community.
On the night of Sunday, December 17, he was assisting three conservation officers in an operation to catch individuals who were illegally hunting deer at night using headlights.
The officers came across a trio of brothers engaged in this unlawful activity near the intersection of Highway 33 and Liberty Road, just south of Roxie. During the encounter, a confrontation ensued, and the youngest of the brothers, a mere 15 years old, discharged a 12-gauge shotgun, fatally wounding Deputy Shell. The shot ended a long and commendable career in law enforcement and left a community in mourning.
Following the shooting, all three brothers were taken into custody. The 15-year-old who fired the fatal shot was charged as an adult with murder, a grave accusation for someone so young. His two older brothers faced charges related to their poaching activities. The legal process moved forward, and on April 30, 1979, the young perpetrator was convicted of manslaughter. He received a sentence of 18 years to be served in a youthful offenders' institution. The terms of his sentence stipulated that after four years, he would be transferred to the state penitentiary, at which point he would become immediately eligible for parole. Deputy Shell was survived by his wife, three brothers, and a sister.
