Corrections Officer James Walter Harbin II joined the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on February 7, 1979.

On March 18, 1979, only 6½ weeks after he was hired, he was shot and killed in a convenience store robbery. Officer Harbin had stopped at the store en route to work. The store clerk tried to warn him of the robbery in progress. Due to the fact that he was in a uniform almost identical to a police officer, he was mistaken for a police officer and shot. The suspect was later apprehended after holding police at bay for several hours.

Officer Harbin died at the age of 22 and was survived by his parents.