Killing of James H. Small in North Carolina in 1952

Incident

Case summary

James H. Small (1922 – 1952), a laborer and WWII veteran, was killed by patrolman George Medlin in Beaufort County, North Carolina. Medlin claimed that he arrested Small when he observed him on the road with an armful of clothing. Small, Medlin claimed, could not explain where he got the clothes. Alleging that while on the way to jail, Small tried to grab his gun, attack him and attempt to escape, Medlin shot Small to death.

Victim(s):

James H. Small


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

George Medlin

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1952-03-02
Location: Washington, Beaufort County, North Carolina
Location type: public space - rural
Allegation against victim: attacking a police officer

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: [ ]
Finding of no legal responsibility: [ ]

Criminal process
Arrest: yes
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: [ ]
Trial: [ ]
Conviction: [ ]
Sentence: [ ]


Document(s):
advocacy group resources
death certificates - closed
military documents - closed
news articles - closed
Data Fields
To learn more about data fields, refer to the data dictionary.
Cite this Page
Refer to how to cite.