Chief Deputy Sheriff Baxter G. Shavers

Baxter G. Shavers

Chief Deputy Baxter Shavers was shot and killed with his own service weapon by a robbery suspect.

Chief Deputy Shavers and County Detective George Brown were both in the area when they spotted a vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle that had fled the scene of an armed robbery. After pulling the vehicle over at 625 Battlefield Parkway in Fort Oglethorpe, Chief Deputy Shavers approached the stopped car and ordered the suspect out. He was frisking the suspect while Detective Brown covered him when the suspect spun and knocked Chief Deputy Shavers to the ground and took his service weapon. The suspect then shot Detective Brown once in the groin and shot several more times at Chief Deputy Shavers, hitting him once in the left side of the neck and killing him instantly.

The suspect then got back into his car and drove away before any units were on scene. Detective Brown, although seriously wounded, was able to fire as the suspect drove away, hitting the car multiple times.

The suspect was apprehended the next day on I-24 in Marion County, Tennessee by the county sheriff of Marion County and a Tennessee State Trooper. The suspect was sentenced to death but later had the sentence commuted to life.

Chief Deputy Shavers had served with the agency for five years and is survived by his wife, two children, and his parents.

On August 12th, 2005, a portion of Battlefield Parkway was dedicated in Chief Deputy Shavers' memory.