Killing of Stafford Gamalious Dames Jr. in Florida in 1937

Incident

Case summary

Stafford Gamalious Dames, Jr., age 19, a printer's apprentice, was killed in 1937 by police officers R.B. Simpson, W.S. Scott, and Fred Bratt in Miami, Florida. The officers claimed that Dames had broken into a church (one he attended) and fired at them, causing them to fire at him. Witnesses testified that the officers had misidentified Dames and shot him as he was walking home. Grand jury declined to indict. Dames’ father, a native of the Bahamas, pursued justice for many years after his son’s death. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.

Victim(s):

Stafford Gamalious Dames Jr.


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

Fred Bratt

W. S. Scott

R. B. Simpson

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1937-07-27
Location: Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Location type: public space - urban
Allegation against victim: burglarizing a church in a case of mistaken identity

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: yes
Finding of no legal responsibility: yes

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


Document(s):
advocacy group resources
census records - closed
coroner's reports
correspondence
court records
death certificates
maps - closed
news articles - closed
portraits
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