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.
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- 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. served in the the United States military (1973â1976) before joining law enforcement.
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.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rupert Holliday Peete Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Rupert Holliday Peete Jr. is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
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.
Others Who Wore This Badge
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