Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Brian McNair died as a result of contracting COVID-19 following a confirmed exposure to three COVID-19-positive inmates in the Hall County Jail at 1700 Barber Road in Gainesville.
Lieutenant McNair was a United States Marine Corps and Army National Guard veteran. He had served with the Hall County Sheriff's Office for 20 years and had previously served with the Habersham County Sheriff's Office.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Lieutenant Brian Keith McNair died on July 20, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 53.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Hall County Sheriff's Office.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and nine children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-A55BF146- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Brian is one person.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Lieutenant McNair gave the Hall County Sheriff's Office 20 years.
Thank you for your service to the Gainesville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant McNair.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Brian Keith McNair served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.
Lieutenant Brian Keith McNair is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.
In GA, 63 of 904 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 7% of this state's fallen. That is 7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Hall County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 7 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Brian Keith McNair's cause is highlighted.
How Brian Keith McNair Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Brian Keith McNair is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Military Service
Brian Keith McNair served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.
Visit Brian Keith McNair’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Hall County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
