Deputy William Cox and Deputy John Gardner were shot while attempting to arrest two brothers for robbery. During the arrest the suspects opened fire, fatally wounding Deputy Gardner on 2nd Avenue, two miles east of Jasper. Deputy Cox suffered severe wounds and remained paralyzed until his death two years later.

   The 30- and 35-year-old suspects fled the scene but were arrested 16 years later in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. One brother was shot and killed, while the other was arrested and later convicted of murder for killing both deputies.

   Deputy Cox was survived by his wife and 12-year-old son. He had been deputized that day for the arrest and is one of three known law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the state of Indiana who served only one day.