Roll of Honor
Cecil Bernis Bays
Incident
Game Warden Cecil Bays was shot and killed in Pound, Wise County, on Thanksgiving night by one of two men who had yelled at him earlier in the evening. The initial encounter and shooting were both unprovoked. The subject was shot and killed a short time later by a Norton policeman. The other subject pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was paroled after serving only three years. Game Warden Bays was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of WWII.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-1EC9144C- 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. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Cecil is one person.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Game Warden Bays served with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Thank you for your service to the Henrico community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Cecil Bernis Bays served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
Game Warden Cecil Bernis Bays is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.
In VA, 394 of 655 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.2% of this state's fallen. That is 60.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, 7 of 11 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cecil Bernis Bays's cause is highlighted.
How Cecil Bernis Bays Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Cecil Bernis Bays is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Cecil Bernis Bays was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Military Service
Cecil Bernis Bays served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
Visit Cecil Bernis Bays’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources are honored on badge.nw.
