State Constable Valdon Osborn Keith

Valdon Osborn Keith

Constable Valdon Keith was shot and killed while chasing armed robbery suspects on State Park Road, near Worley Road, in Greenville County.

The two suspects had robbed the Family Mart on East North Street and were escaping when they were spotted by deputies. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle on State Park Road. One police vehicle was in front of the suspect vehicle when the suspect vehicle pulled to the right of Constable Keith's vehicle and opened fire with a 9mm handgun, killing him.

One of the suspects was captured a few days later. He had recently been paroled from the South Carolina State Prison after serving a sentence for armed robbery. He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life plus 25 years. In 1994 he and a fellow inmate escaped from prison. He was captured in Louisiana not long after his story aired on "America's Most Wanted". He died in prison of a heart attack August 7th, 2005.