Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Edgar Hamrick was shot and killed at the county jail after arresting four men for being drunk in public. The men had been arrested shortly after arriving in Shelby on a freight train. They were initially taken to the city lockup but moved to the county jail due to their boisterous behavior. As Chief Hamrick and several others placed them in the cell one of the men continued to yell obscenities at them. Chief Hamrick re-entered the cell to deal with the subject but one of the other men suddenly produced a pistol and opened fire as he ran for the cell door. Chief Hamrick, the county sheriff, and a jailer were struck by the shots. One of the other officers returned fire and wounded the prisoner. The man was apprehended and subsequently hung on the court square.
Survivors
Chief Hamrick was survived by his wife, son, daughter, parents, and seven siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-980D2F6C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Hamrick served with the Shelby Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Shelby community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Hamrick.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police B. Edgar Hamrick is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Shelby Police Department, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. B. Edgar Hamrick's cause is highlighted.
How B. Edgar Hamrick Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. B. Edgar Hamrick is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. B. Edgar Hamrick was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Shelby Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
