George Pettit Thomas

In the autumn of 1930, the life of Patrolman George Pettit Thomas, a 35-year-old male officer with the Roanoke City Police Department, was cut tragically short. On the evening of November 9th, while on his patrol, Thomas encountered an intoxicated man on Norfolk Avenue. In what began as a seemingly routine interaction, he instructed the man to go home. The situation escalated dramatically when the man, instead of complying, produced a. 45 caliber handgun and shot Patrolman Thomas in the abdomen, ...