Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr.
Agency patch
Night Policeman

Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr.

Burgaw Police Department — Burgaw, NC
Felonious
End of Watch May 6, 1939
Age 48
The Vigil Panel 75 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Night Policeman Samuel Brothers was shot and killed by a man who had been threatening him for the previous two weeks after Policeman Brothers arrested him for liquor law violations. Policeman Brothers was in a post office and was called over to the man's car when he came out of the building. When he approached the car the man shot him with a shotgun. The subject was apprehended, convicted of second degree murder, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was paroled July 20th, 1951.

Survivors

Policeman Brothers was survived by his wife and 12 children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-70355E51
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.
Night Policeman Brothers served with the Burgaw Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Burgaw community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Night Policeman Brothers.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Burgaw, Pender County, NC
Platform Identity bpd.pender.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 6, 1939
Age 48
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Shotgun

Night Policeman Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr. 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 58 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Burgaw Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
NC — Statewide
385
of 664 officers
58% 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. Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr.'s cause is highlighted.

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

How Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr. Compares

Age at Death
48
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr. is highlighted in May.

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. Samuel Joshua Brothers Sr. was killed by shotgun.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Burgaw Police Department are honored on badge.nw.