Gary Joe Bryant
Agency patch
Patrolman

Gary Joe Bryant

Giddings Police Department — Giddings, TX
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch October 27, 1996
Age 49
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Badge 7684
The Vigil Panel 143 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Gary Bryant was shot and killed while investigating a hit-and-run crash around 2:00 p.m. Patrolman Bryant had located the suspect and was shot when he was attempting to arrest him. His body was found under a pile of leaves in the front yard of a house with six gunshot wounds. He had been shot once in the head with his own .45 caliber handgun, which the suspect stole. The other five shots were from the suspect's .22 caliber weapon. His patrol car was located on FM 2440 (present-day Manheim Road) near Giddings, approximately a mile away. The suspect was found to be in the United States illegally from Mexico and was later found incompetent to stand trial. He was deported to an institution in Mexico. Patrolman Bryant was a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Giddings Police Department for five years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, granddaughter, mother, and two brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-B8F04574
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. Gary 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.
Patrolman Bryant gave the Giddings Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Giddings 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

Type Police Department
Location Giddings, Lee County, TX
Platform Identity gpd.lee.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 27, 1996
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 49
Badge Number 7684
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Gary Joe Bryant served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Gary Joe Bryant 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 TX, 1,460 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Giddings Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,460
of 2,421 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gary Joe Bryant's cause is highlighted.

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

How Gary Joe Bryant Compares

Age at Death
49
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Gary Joe Bryant is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Gary Joe Bryant was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Military Service

Gary Joe Bryant served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

Visit Gary Joe Bryant’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Giddings Police Department are honored on badge.nw.