Killing of Thomas Finch in Georgia in 1936

Incident

Case summary

Thomas Finch, 28, a hospital orderly, was killed in 1936 by Detective S. W. Roper in Atlanta, Georgia. Finch was arrested and transported to the police station in connection with an alleged attempted attack on a white woman. Roper claimed that he shot Finch when the victim attempted to flee and grab the officer’s gun. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.

Victim(s):

Thomas Finch


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

J. W. Cody

S. W. Roper

Perpetrator group type: police, mob

Date of incident: 1936-09-12
Location: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Location type: victim's home
Allegation against victim: assaulting a white woman; resisting arrest

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

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


Document(s):
advocacy group resources
census records - closed
death certificates - closed
federal agency records
maps
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news articles - closed
scholarly works
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