Sheriff Park Richards
THE CALHOUN COMMISSION AND THE TOWN OF GRANTSVILLE HAVE OFFICIALLY PROCLAIMED NOV. 18 AS PARK RICHARDS MEMORIAL DAY
Twenty-eight years ago Tuesday (November 18) Sheriff Park Richards was killed by a gunshot fired
by a mentally disturbed man.
There are many relatives and acquaintances of Richards still living in Calhoun, and many remember the tragic day.
A plaque in his honor hangs on the front of the
Calhoun courthouse.
Here is a newspaper account from November 18, 1976.
Submitted by Detective Greg Collins, Parkersburg Police Department, great nephew of
Sheriff Park Richards
STATE POLICE INVESTIGATING DOUBLE SHOOTING IN CALHOUN
State Police are continuing their investigation into the shooting deaths of the Calhoun County Sheriff, Park D.
Richards, 62, and the man who he was approaching with a warrant on Thursday.
Richards was shot by John Fitzgerald while he was trying to serve him with a lunacy warrant at Fitzgerald's
"cave-like" dwelling off Rush Run in Calhoun County, according to State Police.
Fitzgerald was then fatally shot by return fire from Richards and Trooper C. W. McDonald who had accompanied
Richards to the scene.
State Police and medical examiners were inspecting the bodies of the two men this morning to determine the exact
cause of their deaths.
Richards and McDonald went to Fitzgerald's dwelling to serve him with a lunacy warrant after a neighbor had
registered a complaint.
The complaint was filed by C. M. Smith, who lives in a trailer across the road from Fitzgerald's property. Smith
said that Fitzgerald had threatened to kill him, and that he often complained about imagined trespassers on his land.
Smith said that Fitzgerald had been living under a rock with about 50 chickens for two months after a barn, in which
he had been living, burned down.
Sheriff Richards and Trooper McDonald approached the dwelling at about 11:30 a.m. They walked several
hundred yards from the road before reaching the cave.
They found Fitzgerald cooking over an open fire with a 6.5 mm rifle nearby.
Upon seeing the two men, Fitzgerald began to walk away, even though the Trooper called out to him and told him
the purpose of the visit.
The two law officers intended to take the man to Spencer State Hospital for tests of his mental competency.
When the officers walked toward him, Fitzgerald turned and fired at them. The bullet struck Richards in the throat,
police said.
Richards and McDonald then returned the fire, killing Fitzgerald instantly, according to police.
Richards fired one or two shots before falling to the ground, police said. He died a few minutes later.
The neighbor who had registered the complaint said that he warned both lawmen that Fitzgerald was dangerous
and kept a gun at his side constantly.
Smith, the neighbor, said that Fitzgerald, a former resident of Washington, D. C., moved to the area a few years
ago. About two years ago, a two story house on the property burned down, at which time the man moved into the barn.
Richards was re-elected to his second term as sheriff on November 2. The bodies of both men were taken to Stump
Funeral Home.
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