Deputy Sheriff George Lasonro Bryant

George Lasonro Bryant

Deputy Sheriff George Bryant was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for drunk and disorderly conduct.

He had encountered the man in High Springs and told him if he went home he would not be arrested. The deputy then sent the man home in a buggy. When the buggy driver did not return Deputy Bryant and another deputy went to the man's home to investigate. As they approached the home they were met by the buggy driver, who was running from the house. The driver told them that the man had kept him there and had beaten him.

Deputy Bryant went to the front door and was talking to the man when the suspect shot him. Deputy Bryant returned fire but did not strike the suspect. The man was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life at hard labor. He was granted a conditional pardon seven years later.

Deputy Bryant had served as a Alachua County deputy and as the marshal for High Springs for 15 years. He was survived by his third wife, son, and three daughters. He is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Alachua, Florida.