Killing of Bill Cowart in Mississippi in 1947

Incident

Case summary

Bill Cowart (1913-1947), a sharecropper, was killed by police officer(s) in Tylertown, Walthall County, Mississippi. Cowart’s cousin, N.C. Cowart, told the FBI that Bill lived on the farm of William Harvey, and that he had a history of mental illness. On the day of Bill Cowart’s death, Harvey had taken him to the Tylertown jail for transport to a mental hospital. When Bill realized what was happening, he took a swing at one of the officers, who then fatally shot him. N.C. believed that the shooter was Walthall County Sheriff Marshal Bullock.

Victim(s):

Bill Cowart


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

Marshal Bullock

William Harvey

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1947-11-22
Location: Tylertown, Walthall County, Mississippi
Location type: public space - urban
Allegation against victim: knocking a police officer's hat off

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

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

DOJ case ID:

144-32-51


Document(s):
death certificates
federal agency records
news articles - closed
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