Roll of Honor
Incident
Constable Cal Cantrell was shot and killed with his own service revolver while arresting a subject for creating a disturbance in the Shepherd Town section of West Athens.
Officers had been called to the area earlier in the night when a drunk subject created a disturbance and cut another man on the chin. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the man. Several hours passed when the man began banging on a door and demanded entry while pretending to be an officer. The occupants gathered their children and left through another door. They went to a neighbor's home and then to the county jail to notify Constable Cantrell.
Constable Cantrell returned to the scene alone, located the man inside of the house, and placed him under arrest. When they got into his car a violent struggle ensued in which the man disarmed Constable Cantrell and shot him five times. The man fled the scene and hid the gun in a restaurant on North White Street. He was arrested later in the morning at his workplace.
The suspect, 45, who claimed self defense, was convicted of Constable Cantrell's murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was granted a new trial, convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to 5 years on February 6, 1937.
Constable Cantrell was survived by his wife, three sons, three daughters, sister, and two brothers.
Survivors
Constable Cantrell was survived by his wife, three sons, three daughters, sister, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-BD2A3B32- 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.
Constable Cantrell served with the McMinn County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Athens community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Cantrell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable Calvin Cantrell 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 TN, 498 of 769 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Calvin Cantrell's cause is highlighted.
How Calvin Cantrell Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 5 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Calvin Cantrell is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Calvin Cantrell was killed by officer's handgun.