Willis V. McCall, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Willis V. McCall

American sheriff

Date of Birth: 21-Jul-1909

Place of Birth: Umatilla, Florida, United States

Date of Death: 28-Apr-1994

Profession: politician

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Willis Virgil McCall (July 21, 1909 – April 28, 1994) was sheriff of Lake County, Florida.
He was elected for seven consecutive terms from 1944 to 1972.
He gained national attention in the Groveland Case in 1949.
In 1951 he shot two defendants in the case while transporting them to a new trial, killing one on the spot.
Claiming self-defense, he was not indicted for this action.
He also enforced miscegenation laws and was a segregationist.
He lost his bid for an eighth term shortly after being acquitted of the murder in 1972 of Tommy J.
Vickers, a mentally disabled black prisoner who died in his custody.
McCall's notoriety outlived him.
In 2007, the Lake County Commission voted unanimously to change a road named in his honor 20 years before, due to his history as a "bully lawman whose notorious tenure was marked by charges of racial intolerance, brutality and murder." During his 28-year tenure as sheriff, McCall was investigated multiple times for civil rights violations and inmate abuse, and tried for murder, but was never convicted.