Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer James Early was shot and killed by a burglary suspect that he and several other officers were attempting to arrest. The suspect barricaded himself inside a garage for over an hour. Officer Early was shot five times and killed and a police captain was wounded during the shootout. The suspect surrendered after running out of ammunition. The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. He was paroled on February 25, 1967.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-B270FA49- 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.
Police Officer Early served with the Birmingham Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Early.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer James M. Early 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 AL, 405 of 643 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63% of this state's fallen. That is 63 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Birmingham Police Department, 34 of 49 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James M. Early's cause is highlighted.
How James M. Early Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James M. Early is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James M. Early was killed by gun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
48 officers from Birmingham Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
