Rupert Holliday Peete Jr.
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Rupert Holliday Peete Jr.

End of Watch March 8, 2000
Age 45
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 147 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Rupert Peete was shot and killed after being ambushed by a man who had just murdered two firefighters at a home at the intersection of Germantown Road and Bay Hollow Cove.

The firefighters had been ambushed by the same man after responding to a house fire. As they approached the burning structure, the man came out of the home's garage and opened fire with a shotgun, killing both firefighters.

Deputy Peete, who was responding to the scene of the shots-fired call, was shot before exiting his patrol car. Other deputies arrived on the scene and shot the subject after he refused to drop his weapon. A fourth victim was found dead in the garage.

The subject was a firefighter who had just returned to duty after being on disability. On April 24th, 2006, the man was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-EE10875D
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Peete gave the Shelby County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Memphis community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Memphis, Shelby County, TN
Platform Identity scso.shelby.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 8, 2000
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Military Service

Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. served in the the United States military (1973–1976) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. 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 97,759 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 64.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Shelby County Sheriff's Office, 13 of 21 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.9% of this agency's fallen.

Shelby County Sheriff's Office
13
of 21 officers
61.9% Felonious
TN — Statewide
498
of 769 officers
64.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rupert Holliday Peete Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

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

How Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. is highlighted in Mar.

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.

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

Incident Location

Military Service

Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. served in the U.S. Army (1973–1976) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Rupert Holliday Peete Jr.’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.