Investigator Roy Neil Griffin

Roy Neil Griffin

Investigator Roy Griffin was shot and killed as he and his partner seized an illicit still in a home at 408 Castroville Road on the outskirts of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas.

As the federal law enforcement officers began dismantling and carrying off the still's main components for destruction, Investigator Griffin was shot in the neck and killed in an ambush by one of the bootleggers. The suspect who shot him was arrested.

On November 12, 1941, the suspect, 63, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in a federal prison. When the verdict was read he replied "Don't you think that's rather severe for my first time in trouble."

Prior to joining the Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit in 1936, Investigator Griffin had served with the United States Border Patrol for five years.

He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter and was buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. He was three days short of his 60th birthday when he was killed.