Sheriff Wyatt Luther Nugent

Wyatt Luther Nugent

Sheriff Wyatt Nugent and Chief Deputy Delmer Brunson were shot and killed while responding to the scene of a prior shooting.

A farmer had refused to disinfect his livestock of the Texas tick and had fired on rangers who had gone to his ranch in an effort to enforce the dipping law. The farmer and his son fired on the rangers. As Sheriff Nugent and Chief Deputy Brunson approached the scene after the initial incident they were both shot and killed by the farmer. The suspect was captured by a posse two days later.

The 41-year-old suspect was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Sheriff Nugent had served with the Grant Parish Sheriff's Office for eight years and was survived by his wife, 11 children, parents, and eight siblings. His wife served as sheriff for the remainder of his term.