Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Jailer David Gwin died as the result of a heart attack he suffered following a struggle with a prisoner.
The inmate had been arrested for drunk driving by members of the Macon Police Department and became extremely combative and belligerent with the Macon officers. He was transported to the Macon County Jail for processing and continued refusing the officers' orders. Chief Jailer Gwin instructed the inmate to remove his necklace, but the man refused. As Chief Jailer Gwin attempted to remove the necklace, the prisoner struggled with him. The prisoner was subdued with the assistance of the Macon officers.
After the prisoner was moved to a holding cell, Chief Jailer Gwin returned downstairs and began having trouble breathing while talking with the other officers. When the chief was transported to a hospital he stopped breathing. Officers and ER staff performed CPR and were able to stabilize his condition. He was flown to another hospital where he remained until passing away two weeks later.
Chief Jailer Gwin had served with the Macon County Sheriff's Department for 24 years.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-MO-25F4EC4E- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- September 9, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
24 years. You could have gone home.
Chief Jailer Gwin gave the Macon County Sheriff's Office 24 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Macon community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Jailer Gwin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief Jailer David Leon Gwin is one of 1 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,787 officers honored here.
In MO, 32 of 813 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.9% of this state's fallen. That is 3.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Leon Gwin's cause is highlighted.
How David Leon Gwin Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. David Leon Gwin is highlighted in Jun.
Where the Name Is Cut
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Macon County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.