Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Neal Rain was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a fugitive who was wanted for the murder of Deputy Sheriff Charles McCraw in Berrien County, Georgia.
The subject had murdered Deputy McCraw as the deputy attempted to arrest him for failing to register for the WWI draft. After murdering Deputy McCraw, the man fled to a relative's home in Meredith, Levy County, Florida. Authorities learned of his location and sent a Coffee County sheriff's deputy to Florida. Upon the deputy's arrival he asked for assistance from Alachua County. Deputy McCraw, who lived in Archer, went to the home in Meredith to assist with arrest.
When they arrived at the residence the elderly homeowner warned the officers not to come in and then fired at the officers from a bed. Once the Coffee County deputy disarmed him, the man told the officers that the wanted man was in an adjacent room and warned them not to enter it. As Deputy Rain opened the door to the room he was struck by a shotgun blast fired by the subject.
The man was able to flee from the house. He was shot and killed by a posse after wounding three other posse members.
Deputy Rain had served with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office for one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-6D37F5B4- 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
You barely got started.
Deputy Sheriff Rain gave the Alachua County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Gainesville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Rain.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Cornelius Rain 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Alachua County Sheriff's Office, 6 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cornelius Rain's cause is highlighted.
How Cornelius Rain Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Cornelius Rain is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Cornelius Rain was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Alachua County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
