W. C. "Lum" McDougal
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Sheriff

W. C. "Lum" McDougal

Carroll County Sheriff's Office — Carrollton, MS
Felonious
End of Watch October 26, 1907
Age 39
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 22 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff W.C. "Lum" McDougal was shot and killed 8 miles west of Carrollton as he attempted to arrest a man for stealing a suit of clothes. Sheriff McDougal arrived at the suspect's house by buggy and notified the suspect that he was being placed under arrest. The suspect agreed to go with Sheriff McDougal but asked if he could retrieve his shoes from the back room of his home first. Sheriff McDougal, who was familiar with the suspect, agreed and waited outside on the porch. Instead of getting his shoes, the suspect retrieved a shotgun and fired at Sheriff McDougal, striking him in the neck and head with squirrel shot and killing him instantly.

The suspect fled the scene and managed to elude capture for almost two years by disguising himself and gaining employment on a farm owned by Sheriff McDougal's brother-in-law. He was eventually captured after a woman reported him for threatening to kill her just as he had killed the sheriff of Carroll County. The suspect was tried and convicted for the murder of Sheriff McDougal and was executed by hanging on December 11, 1914.

"Lum" McDougal had served as the sheriff of Carroll County for 4 years and was less than a month short of his 40th birthday at the time of his murder. He was survived by his wife, his children, his mother, and several brothers and sisters. He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in North Carrollton.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, his children, his mother, and several brothers and sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MS-E9213371
Stewardship
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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.
Sheriff McDougal gave the Carroll County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Carrollton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff McDougal.

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

Agency

Location Carrollton, MS
Platform Identity ccso.carroll.ms.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 26, 1907
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Sheriff W. C. "Lum" McDougal 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 MS, 242 of 349 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.3% of this state's fallen. That is 15.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Carroll County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
MS — Statewide
242
of 349 officers
69.3% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. C. "Lum" McDougal's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How W. C. "Lum" McDougal Compares

Age at End of Watch
39
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. W. C. "Lum" McDougal is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518