On February 2, 1984, 40-year-old Tangipahoa Parish Deputy Sheriff Edward Toefield Jr. was killed while attempting to arrest a man at Hi-Ho Sam’s Restaurant just south of Amite. Deputies had the suspect, identified as Thomas Sparks Jr., in custody when Sparks produced a handgun concealed in his waistband and shot Deputy Toefield, who died of his wounds.

Sparks fled into nearby woods but was located the next day during an intensive manhunt. When a corrections officer confronted him, Sparks reportedly pointed a weapon and was shot, wounded, and taken into custody. A grand jury indicted Sparks for first-degree murder on February 9, 1984, and a jury later convicted him of first-degree murder with a unanimous recommendation of death. Deputy Toefield was survived by his wife, son, and three daughters, and a portion of U.S. Highway 51 in Tangipahoa Parish was later renamed the Deputy Ed Toefield Jr. Memorial Highway.

Are there witnesses or family members who can share memories of Deputy Toefield or further details about the incident?