Earl Nunnery
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Earl Nunnery

Simpson County Sheriff's Office — Mendenhall, MS
Felonious
End of Watch January 30, 1928
Age 29
The Vigil Panel 54 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Nunnery and Deputy Marshal Willis Hemby of the Magee Police Department were shot and killed by a man they were attempting to arrest on a minor charge. The suspect was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and hanged on July 13, 1928.

Survivors

Deputy Nunnery was survived by his wife and three daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MS-D3923C4F
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Nunnery served with the Simpson County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Mendenhall community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Nunnery.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Mendenhall, Simpson County, MS
Platform Identity scso.simpson.ms.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 30, 1928
Age 29
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Deputy Sheriff Earl Nunnery is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In MS, 243 of 350 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.4% of this state's fallen. That is 69.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Simpson County Sheriff's Office, 6 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.7% of this agency's fallen.

Simpson County Sheriff's Office
6
of 7 officers
85.7% Felonious
MS — Statewide
243
of 350 officers
69.4% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Earl Nunnery's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Earl Nunnery Compares

Age at Death
29
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Earl Nunnery is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Earl Nunnery was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909