Officer Down Memorial

Sergeant Wilbur Berry
Bulloch County Sheriff's Office, GA
End of Watch: Saturday, May 19, 2001

Biographical Info
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 20 yr
Badge Number: 8

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Saturday, May 19, 2001
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Shot and killed

Sergeant Berry was shot and killed while he and two other officers struggled with a burglary suspect. The officers had responded to a residence after neighbors reported suspicious activity. The officers discovered a stolen truck in the backyard and searched the house. During the first search they did not locate anyone so they started to process the stolen truck. The officers started searching the house again and discovered a man hiding in a bedroom.

When they attempted to arrest him he began to struggle. They were able to get one handcuff on the suspect when he suddenly grabbed one of the officer's handguns out of its holster. The deputy immediately sprayed the suspect with OC spray but he was able to fire the weapon, striking Sergeant Berry four times and the second deputy twice. The third deputy on the scene returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect. The suspect was being searched for since May 14, 2001, for ramming a cruiser during a police chase. Sergeant Berry was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Sergeant Berry had been with the agency for 20 years.