Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff George Gillis was shot and killed in El Monte, California, while attempting to locate a man as part of an investigation.
He and the sheriff had gone to the city earlier in the day, but the sheriff had returned to Los Angeles after they could not locate the man. Deputy Gillis remained in El Monte and located the man fighting with another man later in the evening.
Deputy Gillis identified himself as a deputy and ordered the men to stop fighting. The man then pushed Deputy Gillis out of the saloon door, drew a handgun, and shot him. The subject then stole Deputy Gillis' horse and fled to San Juan Capistrano. He was captured, convicted of Deputy Gillis' murder, and sentenced to life. In 1894 his sentence was reduced to 20 years by Governor Henry W. Markham.
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BO-US-CA-94BB5263- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
145 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Gillis served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff George W. Gillis 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept., 58 of 120 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 48.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George W. Gillis's cause is highlighted.
How George W. Gillis Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. George W. Gillis is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. George W. Gillis was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
