Joseph C. Kelly

Southern Pines Police Department — Southern Pines, NC

Felonious

End of Watch March 21, 1929

Age 50

The Vigil Panel 57 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 5

Incident

Chief Joseph Kelly succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day while attempting to search a car he had stopped. The suspect fled the scene after the shooting.

Chief Kelly drove himself to the home of a local doctor where he collapsed. He was transported to a hospital in Fayetteville where he died the following day.

The suspect was captured several days later in Bangor, Maine. He was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. On December 12, 1929, he escaped from the Caledonia Prison Farm in Halifax County. He was recaptured in Ohio in November of 1935 and returned to prison. He was paroled October 20, 1940.

Chief Kelly was survived by his wife.

Survivors

Chief Kelly was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NC-8D70F5C0
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.
Chief of Police Kelly served with the Southern Pines Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Southern Pines community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Kelly.

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

Agency

Department Southern Pines Police Department

Location Southern Pines, NC

Platform Identity sppd.moore.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 21, 1929

Age 50

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Offender Paroled in 1940

Chief of Police Joseph C. Kelly 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 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 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Southern Pines Police Department, 4 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Southern Pines Police Department

of 6 officers

66.7% Felonious

NC — Statewide

385

of 664 officers

58% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious