Killing of Garfield Hunter in North Carolina in 1931

Incident

Case summary

Garfield Hunter (1882 – 1931), a florist, was killed by police sergeant W. N. Strickland in Vance County, North Carolina. Hunter died in a hospital a few weeks after Strickland struck him in the head. The officer alleged that Hunter threatened him and attempted to escape as he was being placed in a jail cell. The Baltimore Afro-American reported that Strickland, who had a reputation for treating Black people brutally, accosted Hunter when he was coming home from work, beat him severely, and then placed him into a jail cell without medical attention. Hunter was taken to the hospital only after his white employer insisted that he receive medical care.

Victim(s):

Garfield Hunter


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

W. N. Strickland

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1931-02-04
Location: Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina
Location type: public space - urban
Allegation against victim: exhibiting drunkenness

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

Criminal process
Arrest: no
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: [ ]
Trial: [ ]
Conviction: [ ]
Sentence: [ ]


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