End of Watch: 03/01/1903
Agency: Thurston County Sheriff’s Office
County: Thurston County
Jailer David Morrell was beaten and shot to death by an escaping prisoner at the county jail. He was locking a cell door when the prisoner attacked him from behind with a lead pipe broken off from a sink. The man then fled down a hallway with Jailer Morrell in pursuit. During the ensuing struggle, Morrell was beaten with the pipe and shot with his own revolver. The suspect fled the scene, but returned to the jail looking for protection after an angry mob of citizens almost lynched him. Jailer Morrell was a veteran of the Civil War.