Date of Release:
May 12, 2022
Members of the Paducah Police Department’s Honor Guard will place flags on the graves of the department’s four fallen officers on May 13, 2022, to honor them during National Police Week.
- Officer Cal Smith was ambushed and shot to death on Oct. 3, 1893. His killer had been arrested earlier for being drunk and disruptive, and after being released on bond, he obtained a rifle and went looking for the arresting officer. He mistook Officer Smith for the officer who had arrested him, and shot him.
- Officer James Phelps suffered a fatal heart attack while assisting at the scene of a fire on Nov. 9, 1894. He rushed into a burning building to help search for anyone trapped inside, and collapsed and died when he exited the building.
- Officer William Romain was shot and killed on August 12, 1917, after confronting a group of men who were creating a disturbance. The suspect fled the scene, but was caught and executed in June 1919.
- Officer William H. Poore died on Nov. 29, 1928, after he was injured the previous day while searching for two suspects who had stolen a suitcase. Poore fell through a train trestle and sustained a head injury.
The Honor Guard will gather at about 11:45 a.m. Friday at Mount Kenton Cemetery, where Officer Romain is buried. Then, they will proceed to Oak Grove Cemetery, where officers Smith, Phelps and Poore are buried.
