Detective Sergeant Hay and Detective Sergeant George Moore were shot and killed as they investigated a dice game and other illegal gambling activities at 1005 Chester Street in Little Rock.

As the two officers approached the home, three men opened fire on them without warning, striking Sergeant Moore in the head three times and killing him instantly. Sergeant Hay was shot six times and succumbed to his injuries two days later. All three suspects were taken into custody a short time later.

The three suspects were convicted of Detective Hay’s murder and sentenced to death on September 20, 1923. On February 1, 1924, the three suspects kidnapped the warden at the Arkansas State Prison and escaped. They forced the warden to give them his vehicle and then released him five miles from the prison. Five days later, two of the suspects were shot and killed, and the third one was wounded in a gunfight with a posse near Redfield, Arkansas. The third suspect was executed in the electric chair on April 18, 1924.

One of the suspects in the murders was wanted in connection with the 1922 murder of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, Sheriff’s Deputy John Lung.

Detective Sergeant Hay had served with the Little Rock Police Department for six years. He was survived by his wife, parents and brother.