Deputy Sheriff Robert Edward Arnow

Robert Edward Arnow

Deputy Sheriff Robert Arnow was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a man for carrying a concealed weapon.

He and a local police chief were arresting the man who the deputy knew and thought he could talk into surrendering peacefully. The deputy asked the suspect if he had a weapon and he replied, "Yes, I will give it to you," and then proceeded to fire five shots at Deputy Arnow with a .32 caliber pistol hidden under his coat.

Deputy Arnow was hit four times, with one shot in the neck breaking his spinal column. Deputy Arnow fell against the police chief, who was able to return fire at the fleeing suspect. Deputy Arnow died June 20, 1921, in the Williams Sanitarium in Gainesville after undergoing surgery to locate the bullet.

Deputy Arnow was survived by his wife, three sons, and his mother.