Byron Keith Cannon
Deputy Sheriff

Byron Keith Cannon

Accident
End of Watch May 4, 2005
Age 26
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 6 mo
The Vigil Panel 153 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Byron Cannon was killed in an automobile crash on I-20 at approximately 4:15 pm.

He and another deputy were both following a dump truck whose driver was suspected of being involved in an earlier assault. As they approached US 378, Deputy Cannon's patrol car, for unknown reasons, crossed the interstate's median, struck an SUV head-on, and was struck by a passenger car. The patrol car burst into flames after the second collision.

Deputy Cannon had served with the Richland County Sheriff's Department for 18 months and had previously served with the South Carolina Department of Probation and Parole for one year.

Survivors

He is survived by his fiance, brother, and his mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-06175634
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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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Cannon gave the Richland County Sheriff's Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Cannon.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Other
Location Columbia, Richland County, SC
Platform Identity rcso.richland.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 4, 2005
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 6 mo
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff Byron Keith Cannon is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In SC, 138 of 441 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.3% of this state's fallen. That is 31.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Richland County Sheriff's Department, 4 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 57.1% of this agency's fallen.

Richland County Sheriff's Department
4
of 7 officers
57.1% Accident
SC — Statewide
138
of 441 officers
31.3% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Byron Keith Cannon's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Byron Keith Cannon Compares

Age at Death
26
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
2.5
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Byron Keith Cannon is highlighted in May.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location