Deputy Sheriff John Gardener

John Gardener

Deputy John Gardener and Deputy William Cox were shot while attempting to arrest two brothers for robbery. During the arrest the suspects opened fire, fatally wounding Deputy Gardener on the scene. Deputy Cox suffered severe wounds and remained paralyzed until his death two years later. The suspects fled the scene but were arrested six years later in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Deputy Gardener had been deputized that day for the arrest.