A retired police chief, shot dead outside his home, was allegedly killed by a former convict 'with an axe to grind', officials say.
82-year-old Herbert Proffitt died in a hail of bullets last month believed to have been fired by Charles Hammer, an 81-year-old ex-con whom he arrested 10 years ago.
Known around their small Kentucky town for having a mean streak, Hammer is believed to have sought revenge on Proffitt, gunning him down as he went to fetch the mail.
---
The slaying has staggered people in Tompkinsville, a tight-knit town in the hills of south-central Kentucky, about 120 miles south of Louisville, where Proffitt's only child, Jeff, is mayor.
And adding to the tragedy, Proffitt's wife, Bernice, died five days after the killing. Family friends say she died of a broken heart.
---
