On the night of February 29, 1976, a dedicated 36-year-old Salem City Policeman, Ira Russell “Mack” McCurry, tragically lost his life in the line of duty in Salem, Virginia. A Vietnam War veteran who had honorably served in the U.S. Navy, McCurry was a respected figure among his colleagues and the wider community. That fateful evening, he was participating in a stakeout at a local motel that had been experiencing a string of car thefts.
During the surveillance operation, McCurry and his fellow officers noticed suspicious activity and moved in to apprehend three individuals. In the confrontation that followed, one of the suspects, a 17-year-old, brandished a pistol and fired, striking McCurry in the chest. Despite the immediate efforts of those at the scene, his injuries proved fatal. The investigation that followed identified the shooter as a juvenile who had been observed breaking into vehicles.
Following the shooting, two 17-year-old juveniles and a 23-year-old adult were arrested and charged with Patrolman McCurry's murder. The juvenile who fired the fatal shot was subsequently convicted of second-degree murder and received a sentence of 16 years. He was paroled in 1982. However, his freedom was short-lived. Between January and March of 1984, he engaged in a crime spree in Franklin and Botetourt Counties. On November 17, 1984, he was convicted on eight counts of breaking and entering and eight counts of grand larceny, resulting in a 36-year sentence. His parole was also revoked, and he was ordered to serve the remainder of his original sentence, with the new sentence to run consecutively. The death of Patrolman McCurry, who was survived by his wife and two teenage daughters, left a lasting impact on the Salem community and its police department.
