Trooper Bruce Thompson Brown, 25, was killed during a routine prisoner-booking procedure at the Tucker County Jail in Parsons on October 14, 1977. Brown had been with the West Virginia State Police less than a year, was assigned to the Parsons Detachment, and had a wife and two daughters. He was originally from Charles Town and had previously served on that city’s police force.

Officials say Frederick Dean Hamilton, 19, who'd been arrested in Beverly on kidnapping and grand larceny allegations, had his handcuffs removed briefly for fingerprinting, seized Corporal Marshall Davisson’s .357 Magnum and began shooting. One bullet struck Davisson’s belt buckle; another struck Trooper Brown in the chest. Brown was taken to Tucker County Hospital but died about four hours later from massive blood loss. Hamilton was wounded, surrendered and remained in custody; surviving accounts identify him as the shooter.

Brown was buried at Edge Hill Cemetery in Charles Town. Does anyone have memories of Trooper Brown or information about the Parsons Detachment from that time?