Warren County Sheriff's Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Monday, December 7, 1981
Age: 60
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Badge Number: WR-8
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 7, 1981
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 70 years
Deputy George Darnell was shot and killed when he interrupted several suspects stealing fuel at a service facility on U.S. 67 near Monmouth.
The suspects were loading fuel into their own tanker truck from the service facility tanks. As Deputy Darnell attempted to arrest the suspects, he was ambushed by one of them and shot several times in the head and chest.
The suspect was convicted of Deputy Darnell's murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison. He was released on parole in November 2017.
Deputy Darnell was a United States Army veteran of World War II and had served with the Warren County Sheriff's Department for 10 years and the Warren County Sheriff's Auxiliary for seven years. He was survived by his wife and four children.
In 2014, a section of Highway 67 near the shooting scene was named in honor of Deputy George Darnell.