Officer Memorials
Law enforcement carries with it the burden that at any point deputies may pay the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives to save another. The people who are called to this job knowingly accept these risks everyday, choosing to walk into danger to protect others. The Sheriff's Office wants to ensure the accuracy of all information on this site and particularly this page. If you have any corrections or information which needs to be added to this memoriam, please contact the Community Services Division. The following officers from our combined departments have given their lives to protect the residents of the City of Augusta and Richmond County.
Albert Ruffin
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died November 3, 1868
Deputy Ruffin was shot while attempting to diffuse a racial situation at City Hall.
W. R. Parker
Augusta Police Department
Died February 8, 1893
Officer Parker was shot while attempting to arrest a thief.
Joe F. Murray
Augusta Police Department
Died December 24,1894
Detective Murray was shot while attempting to arrest a robbery suspect.
F.W. Murphey
Augusta Police Department
1863 to August 30, 1905
Officer Murphey was killed when a passenger train car fell on him.
Walter S. Wilkins
Augusta Police Department
Died February 25, 1907
Officer Wilkins was mistaken as a burglar and shot by a business owner as he checked the rear door of the business.
W.M.Collins
Augusta Police Department
Died July 2, 1910
Detective killed in the line of duty.
W. Richard Duncan
Augusta Police Department
Died February 3, 1913
Officer W.R.Duncan was shot and killed by a fugitive
Jefferson A.F. Smoak
Augusta Police Department
Died January 28, 1915
Sergeant Smoak was shot by a burglary suspect
Richard Morgan
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died September 1, 1919
Deputy Morgan was kill during a raid on a whiskey still.
William Washington Moore
Augusta Police Department
Died Augusta 16, 1921
Officer Moore was shot when he responded to a call where one man was shooting into a crowd.
Edward Hezikiah Quarles
Augusta Police Department
Died September 5, 1924
Sergeant Quarles died as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident during a training exercise at the Augusta Fair Grounds
Barney Edward Harmon
Augusta Police Department
Died March 10, 1932
Officer Harmon died in an accident involving his police motorcycle and a truck.
Samuel B. Hardy
Augusta Police Department
Died February 2, 1934
Officer Hardy died in a traffic accident involving his police motorcycle and an automobile.
Thomas G. Timmons
Augusta Police Department
Died July 6, 1934
Officer Timmons was shot in the chest while questioning a robbery suspect.
Guy Samuel Berry
Augusta Police Department
Died November 8, 1934
Officer Berry died in a motorcycle accident while reporting for duty.
Richard Henry Riley Jr.
Augusta Police Department
Died May 28, 1941
Officer Riley died as a result of a traffic accident involving his police motorcycle.
Carlton M. Pond
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died April 24, 1957
Officer Pond was killed in a patrol car accident while on duty.
Frank Henderson Wall Jr.
Augusta Police Department
Died November 11, 1958
Officer Wall was killed by a Robbery/Auto Theft suspect during a traffic stop.The suspect was never located.
Joe Reynolds
Augusta Police Department
Died June 14, 1959
Officer Reynolds was shot and killed while responding to a domestic fight.
Pressley Eugene Humphrey
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died June 7, 1965
Officer Humphrey was shot and killed while responding to a domestic fight.
William A. Elliott
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died February 28, 1968
Officer Elliott was killed in a patrol car wreck while responding to an assault call.
Jimmy O. Harris
Augusta Police Department
Died January 18, 1970
Officer Harris was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute.
Lester Eugene Sleister
Augusta Police Department
Died January 8, 1972
Officer Sleister was killed in a traffic accident while returning home from duty.
Larry Douglas Stevens
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died January 1, 1979
Investigator Stevens was shot and killed while investigating a burglary.
John Louis Francisco Sr.
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died August 16, 1982
Capt.Francisco died from medical complications after being shot while responding to a domestic dispute.
Bruce Williford
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died February 2, 1987
Deputy Williford was killed while serving civil papers to a suspect
James Cromer Haupfear
Augusta Police Department
Died January 1, 1984
Lt. Haupfear died as a result of heart failure after being kicked in the chest while arresting a female for disorderly conduct.
Herbert Lee Evans Jr.
Augusta Police Department
Died July 3, 1988
Officer Evans was killed at the Law Enforcement Center in an accidental shooting by another officer.
Charles Thomas Hammock
Augusta Police Department
Died December 18, 1990
Sergeant Hammock was shot and killed while exiting his personal vehicle at home.Three subjects shot Sgt.Hammock for no reason.
Mark Timothy Wells
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Investigator Wells succumbed to a brain tumor while an active member of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Kenneth R.Burton
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died: January 4, 2004
Deputy Burton died from injuries received after being struck by a vehicle while directing traffic at an accident.
Edward L. Harris
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died July 13, 2004
Lt. Ed Harris died while actively serving in the Criminal Investigation Division.
David Randall Jones Sr.
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died July 30, 2005
Deputy Jones was killed while serving our country in Iraq.
Shane R. Hamilton
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died October 31, 2005
Deputy Hamilton was killed in a traffic accident.
Eric Mark Sikes
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died March 21, 2007
Deputy Sikes was killed in a traffic accident.
James D. Paugh
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died October 23, 2011
Deputy Paugh was shot when he pulled over to investigate a suspicious vehicle.He was on his way home after working a special assignment at the county fair.
Greg Meagher
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died February 5, 2017
Sergeant Meagher was killed while trying to locate a safety worker who entered a facility to shut off a nitrogen leak.
Christian Lee Gandy
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died October 31, 2017
Investigator Gandy was killed during a motorcycle accident.
James Wallace
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died November 2, 2017
Deputy Wallace died as a result of a Heart Attack sustained during annual training exercises.
Cecil Ridley
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died November 19, 2019
Inv. Ridley was shot and killed while conducting a drug investigation on a male suspect.
Charles Edward Norton
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died September 20, 2020
Sgt. Norton died due to Covid-19 complications
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
Died September 18th, 2021
Cpl. Campbell died of Covid-19 complications
Former Officers Who Died While Serving Other Local Agencies
Richmond County Board of Education
Died January 1996
Chief Wasson died while actively serving as Chief of the Board of Education Department of Public Safety.Chief Wasson was a former member of the Augusta Police Department.
Richmond County Board of Education
Died July 16, 1997
Officer Stephenson was shot and killed by a burglary suspect while responding to an alarm at a local school.Officer Stephenson was a former Richmond County Sheriff's Deputy.
Officer Down Memorial Page
The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America's fallen law enforcement heroes. More than 24,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States since 1786 and ODMP is honored to preserve their memories and give friends, family, other officers and citizens alike the opportunity to remember them and honor their sacrifices. View all 2020 Fallen Officers
History of the ODMP
In 1996 Chris Cosgriff, a James Madison University freshman, read a Washington Post article about the release of a murderer convicted of slaying two Prince George's County, Maryland police officers. Upon learning that this violent criminal had served only 16 years for his heinous act, Chris was compelled to find a way to honor these and other fallen officers. Thus, the Officer Down Memorial Page was created.
In the early stages of development, the ODMP honored only law enforcement officers who had been killed or wounded in 1996 but quickly expanded to include officers killed in the line of duty dating back to 1990. Then, with the help of the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund, Inc., the site gained access to information about thousands of heroes who had given their lives in the line of duty since the 1790s.
In 2000, the Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., was granted status as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This status allowed the ODMP to greatly expand its role in honoring America's police officers killed in the line of duty.
In 2006, ODMP began hosting the annual National Police Week 5K in Washington D.C. during Police Week. Since then, the race has grown to include over 2500 runners and walkers each year, including a virtual team with participants around the globe. A portion of the money raised at this event each year goes to Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a non-profit organization that provides assistance to survivors who have lost a loved one to a line of duty death.
In 2010 the ODMP was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to provide nationwide line of duty death notifications and resources on benefits available to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers.
In 2011, ODMP launched another annual fundraising event, the Officer Down Memorial Ride, a 60-mile motorcycle ride based in Haymarket, VA each spring. The ODMR had over 700 participants in 2018 and raised nearly $40,000 to support ODMP’s mission of honoring fallen law enforcement officers.
The Officer Down Memorial Page has further expanded to include ODMP K9, the Front Line Club, and the No Parole program. ODMP also released a mobile app that enables followers to receive immediate Line of Duty Death (LODD) notifications, see real-time statistics and trends, and search LODDs based on location.