Louis Griffin Bass
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Louis Griffin Bass

Bibb County Sheriff's Office — Centreville, AL
Felonious
End of Watch August 12, 1896
Age 43
The Vigil Panel 14 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff L. Griffin Bass was shot and killed in Blocton by a man seeking revenge for his brother's death.

The subject had escaped from the Pratt Mines Penitentiary several months earlier while serving a sentence for murder. Deputy Bass was part of a posse that was searching for the man following his escape. They had located his whereabouts and were waiting for him to emerge when the man's brother approached. The resisted arrest and attempted to open fire on the posse when he was ordered to surrender. Several of the posse members shot and killed the brother.

Following his brother's death, the escapee vowed to kill every member of the posse. On August 12th, 1896, he and an accomplice located Deputy Bass inside of a store in Blocton and opened fire on him with Winchester rifles, fatally wounding him.

Deputy Bass was survived by his wife and two children.

Survivors

Deputy Bass was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-CC29F14D
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Bass served with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Centreville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Location Centreville, AL
Platform Identity bcso.bibb.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 12, 1896
Age 43
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle; Winchester

Deputy Sheriff Louis Griffin Bass is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In AL, 405 of 643 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63% of this state's fallen. That is 8.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Bibb County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Bibb County Sheriff's Office
3
of 3 officers
100% Felonious
AL — Statewide
405
of 643 officers
63% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Louis Griffin Bass's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Louis Griffin Bass Compares

Age at End of Watch
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Louis Griffin Bass is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Louis Griffin Bass was killed by rifle; winchester.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Bibb County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.