William R. Brannon

Florida State Road Department - State Convict Road Force — Tallahassee, FL

Felonious

End of Watch August 20, 1948

Age 56

The Vigil Panel 84 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 5

Incident

Guard William R. Brannon was shot and killed by a 20-year-old inmate during an escape at the Noma Road Prison. The suspect managed to overpower another guard and take his shotgun as he and five more inmates ran to and drove away in a prison road truck. The suspect shot Guard Brannon in the abdomen as he attempted to stop the escape. Guard Brannon managed to return fire wounding one of the inmates. Within 24 hours five were captured. The sixth inmate was captured a few days later. Guard Brannon's killer, serving three years for breaking and entering, was shot twice and seriously wounded when he opened fire on officers who surrounded him in a cane field. He was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life. On May 17, 1951, he escaped from a prison work crew. On December 23, 1951, a Florida ex-convict was arrested in Bainbridge, Georgia, after he and another man were caught in the act of trying to crack a safe inside a tire store they had broken into. The other man who escaped was Guard Brannon's killer. An investigation revealed they were responsible for several safe crackings in several North Florida cities. He was captured in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1953. On April 18, 1953, he escaped from a prison work farm but was captured the next day. On October 24, 1953, he made his 4th escape from a prison work crew. On December 24, 1953, he was captured in New Orleans. He was paroled in 1957; violated his parole a few days later and was returned to prison. He was paroled again in 1960. In 1972 he requested to be released from parole supervision, that was denied. Members of the Florida legislature questioned why he was out of prison in the first place, since he had violated his parole several times since his release in 1960.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FL-A9237FA8
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Guard Brannon served with the Florida State Road Department.
Thank you for your service to the Tallahassee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard Brannon.

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

Agency

Department Florida State Road Department - State Convict Road Force

Location Tallahassee, FL

Platform Identity fsrdscrf.leon.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 20, 1948

Age 56

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Shotgun

Offender Paroled in 1957

Guard William R. Brannon 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 Florida State Road Department - State Convict Road Force, 6 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Florida State Road Department - State Convict Road Force

of 6 officers

100% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious