Sergeant Harry C. Chapin

Sergeant Harry C. Chapin, 49, was fatally shot Nov. 5, 1972, while apprehending three subjects in Gadsden County. In response to reports of night hunting, Chapin, along with Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Officers Jack Polk, J.M. Futch and Patrick Weaver, were patrolling State Road 90 when they heard shots. The officers were on foot patrol when they made contact with three subjects located in the area where the shots came from. One of the subjects shined a light toward the officers while another fired a shotgun that killed Sergeant Chapin. The other officers, who were unharmed, pursued the three subjects on foot. Arrest warrants were issued for first degree murder, resisting arrest with violence, fleeing and eluding a police officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, taking or attempting to take deer at night with gun and light, and hunting without a hunting license.  One of the subjects was found guilty of murder in the second degree and the other with manslaughter.

Sergeant Chapin had over 22 years of service with Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. He survived a shooting in December 1958 similar to the one that took his life because his leather gun belt and flashlight deflected the buckshot.  Sergeant Chapin was held in high regard. In 1962, he was recognized as Florida’s Outstanding Wildlife Officer of the Year. In 1973, a fund known as the Harry C. Chapin Memorial Foundation was created in his honor.

Historical Documents

Video Resources