Milwood L. Stokes was the 50-year-old chief of police in Whigham, Georgia, when he was killed on the evening of Sunday, April 6, 1980. He and a city councilman were on duty when they attempted to stop a speeding truck. The driver refused to stop and fled; a pursuit ended at a residence. As Chief Stokes approached the vehicle, the driver fired a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with birdshot, fatally wounding Stokes. The city councilman was also injured by shrapnel.

The suspect was taken into custody at the scene, charged with murder, tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Chief Stokes was a United States Army veteran who had served nine years with the Attapulgus Police Department and two years with the Whigham Police Department. He was survived by his wife and nine children.

If anyone in the Whigham area remembers the night of April 6, 1980, or has information about Chief Stokes’s career or family, please share what is known.