Itasca County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota
End of Watch: Thursday, October 29, 1981
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 29, 1981
Weapon Used: Handgun; .357 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy "Beefy" Lawson was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant on a suspect.
Deputy Lawson was off duty, but at the request of the suspect's estranged wife, he reported onto duty and went to arrest the man. The suspect had been arrested by Deputy Lawson on several previous occasions. After shooting Deputy Lawson, the man took his two young children hostage for 18 hours before he was taken into custody.
The 27-year-old suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. He was denied parole in January 2016 and again in January 2021. As of April 4, 2023, he was in prison.
Deputy Lawson had been with the Itasca County Sheriff's Office for 11 years. He was survived by his wife and seven children. Two of his sons went on to serve as officers with Itasca County.
His name lives on through the Beefy Lawson Memorial Fund, which has given more than $250,000 to youth recreation projects in the area.