Harvey Glenn Lawson Jr. was 21 when he was killed on March 12, 1985, while on duty as a Clarksville, Virginia police officer. A year into his service after graduating from the Central Virginia Justice Academy the previous June, Lawson stopped a vehicle at Fourth Street and Market Street in downtown Clarksville. The driver, described as a man who had been arrested earlier that day for drunk driving and later released to his wife, reportedly fired a shotgun during the traffic stop and fatally struck Officer Lawson.

The suspect was arrested at the scene. After investigation and trial he was convicted of Lawson’s murder and received a 50-year prison sentence. Lawson left behind a wife and two young daughters, and his family and the local law enforcement community have kept his memory alive. The town later dedicated part of Virginia Avenue/Highway 58 Business as the Police Officer Harvey Glenn Lawson Jr. Memorial Highway.

If anyone knew Officer Lawson, his family, or the events around that March 1985 traffic stop, please share memories or information that might add to the record.