Roy L. Hoyle

Mobile and Ohio Railroad Police Department — Mobile, AL

Felonious

End of Watch October 3, 1906

Age 34

The Vigil Panel 21 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Location: Alabama Incident Date: Tuesday, October 2, 1906 Weapon: Handgun Offender: Not available

Special Agent Roy Hoyle was shot and killed in Mobile, Alabama, while attempting to keep a mob of citizens from storming the jail in an attempt to lynch a 17-year-old prisoner who had been charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

A mob of approximately 500 men gathered near the intersection of Royal Street and Dauphin Street without knowing that the prisoner had been secretly moved out of the city and hidden in a Mobile and Ohio Railroad terminal.

The jailer had allowed several men in the mob that he personally knew to search the jail to prove that the prisoner was not there; however, the full mob attempted to force its way in even after the men assured them the prisoner was not there. One of the guards inside fired a shot in an attempt to warn the mob, but several of the citizens opened fire. Special Agent Hoyle and a city alderman were both shot. Special Agent Hoyle was struck in the abdomen and died a short time later.

Special Agent Hoyle was survived by his daughter and brothers.

Survivors

Special Agent Hoyle was survived by his daughter and brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-2D67DAAC
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.
Special Agent Hoyle served with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Mobile community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Hoyle.

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

Agency

Department Mobile and Ohio Railroad Police Department

Location Mobile, AL

Platform Identity morpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 3, 1906

Age 34

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Special Agent Roy L. Hoyle 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 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 8.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Mobile and Ohio Railroad Police Department, 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Mobile and Ohio Railroad Police Department

of 4 officers

100% Felonious

AL — Statewide

405

of 643 officers

63% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious