National Peace Officers Memorial Day

National Peace Officers Memorial Day is a day for paying tribute to the local, state and federal law enforcement officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. Today we remember these Henderson County Law Enforcement Officers who were killed in the line of duty. 

Sheriff William Grayson McCall

Hendersonville Police Officer Denny Quay Enevold

Henderson County Detective Randall "Shane" Thomas

Continue to remember these men and the sacrifices they made.

(Below is a newspaper account of Sheriff McCall's death, and the Officer Down Memorial Page accounts of Officer Enevold and Detective Thomas.)
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SHERIFF WILLIAM GRAYSON McCALL
OCTOBER 22, 1893 – JULY 8, 1956
HENDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF FROM 1950-1956
Western Carolina Tribune July 12, 1956
DEATH TAKES SHERIFF MCCALL TWO WEEKS AFTER AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT; PAUL HILL NAMED AS HIS SUCCESSOR
Henderson County Sheriff William G. McCall died Sunday at the Margaret R. Pardee Memorial Hospital as the result of injuries he received in an automobile accident on June 23. The accident occurred on U.S. 176, approximately two miles south of Hendersonville.
The Sheriff and Deputy Carl Garrett were traveling south in a department car at the time of the accident. The car was in collision with a northbound car reportedly driven by Quay Edward Blackwell, 21, of East Flat Rock on leave from the U.S Navy. Mrs. Lilla Overby, was owner of and a passenger in the car driven by Blackwell. Mrs. Overby and Blackwell have both been served with murder warrants. They have been released on $5000 bond each.
Blackwell had previously been charged with drunken and reckless driving, operating a car without a license and possession. He had been free on $2500 bond, and Mrs. Overby had been out on the same amount of bond for aiding and abetting.
Funeral services for Sheriff McCall were held Tuesday afternoon at the Mud Creek Baptist Church. The Rev. W. S. Billingsley, the Rev. Sherman Patterson and Dr. C. M. Heymann conducted the funeral. Interment followed in Oakdale Cemetery.
Mr. McCall was a native and life-long resident of Henderson County. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville and was active in several civic and fraternal organizations.
Surviving are the widow, the former Sudie Elizabeth Harton; three daughters, Mrs. James Odom of Hendersonville, Mrs. Ryan D. Bashford of Raleigh, and Mrs. Edward S. Beall of Enka; nine grandchildren, four sisters, Mrs. John Perry, Sr., Mrs. Mingus Shipman and Mrs. James Hill, all of Hendersonville, and Mrs. W. T. Palmer of Elizabeth City.
Deputy Sheriff Paul Z. Hill was named by the Board of County Commissioners to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff McCall on Sunday afternoon. Sheriff Hill immediately deputized those deputies who had served under Mr. McCall and they took the oath of office. Mr. Hill’s term of office will expire on December 1, 1958. He is 32 years old and has served as a deputy for approximately two years. He is the son of Mrs. George Hill and the late Mr. Hill of the Chimney Rock Road.
All 18 men under the supervision of State Highway Patrol Sergeant James B. Kuykendall served as an honor guard at the funeral. A large crowd attended the funeral services, possibly the largest ever to attend a funeral in this county.
An inquest into the death of Sheriff McCall originally set for Wednesday afternoon has been cancelled, according to Coroner Dr. R.A. Porter. Blackwell and Mrs. Overby waived preliminary hearings and were bound over to Superior Court.
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Officer Dennie Quay Enevold
Hendersonville Police Department, North Carolina
End of Watch: Sunday, November 22, 1981 
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 33
Tour: 1 year, 3 months
Cause: Gunfire
Weapon: Officer's handgun
Offender: Died in prison
Officer Enevold was shot and killed after responding to a call of a suspicious person. When Officer Enevold arrived, he confronted the suspect and a struggle ensued in which the suspect was able to gain control of Officer Enevold's gun and shot and killed him.
The suspect was later apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison on October 2, 1984. He died in prison June 16, 2011.
Officer Enevold had been with the agency for almost 16 months and was survived by his wife.
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Detective Randall "Shane" Thomas
Henderson County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina
End of Watch: Friday, December 28, 2012
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 47
Tour: 19 years
Cause: Training accident
Incident Date: 5/1/2009
Detective Shane Thomas died due to complications from an injury he sustained while taking part in mounted patrol training in May 2009.
He was training at Horseshoe Farms when the horse he was riding reared and fell on top of him, breaking his neck and rendering him a quadriplegic. He was airlifted to Mission Hospital and spent the next four months rehabilitating in Atlanta, Georgia.
Detective Thomas returned home in October 2009 but had limited mobility. With the assistance of voice activated computer software, he was able to return to work with the sheriff's office performing computer data entry and managing confidential information about drug dealers.
Detective Thomas developed complications from his spinal injuries and passed away on December 28th, 2012, as a result.
Detective Thomas had served with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office for 19 years. He is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters, one grandson, brother, sister, parents, and his grandmother.