Roll of Honor
Incident
Captain Raymond Merritt was shot and killed while answering a domestic disturbance call on Bill Bowen Road in Tifton. When Captain Merritt arrived at the home, he and other officers attempted to talk to a man who had barricaded himself in a separate building on the property after striking his wife and daughter. As the officers and deputies stepped onto the porch of the house, the man fired, striking Captain Merritt. Other officers and deputies returned fire, wounding the subject. The suspect pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison. He died in 2013. Captain Merritt was a United States Army veteran who had served with the Tift County Sheriff's Office for 19 years and previously served with the Tifton Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-25FF6A3C- 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 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.
Captain Merritt gave the Tift County Sheriff's Office 25 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tifton 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Raymond Bussell Merritt served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Captain Raymond Bussell Merritt 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 GA, 548 of 903 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Raymond Bussell Merritt's cause is highlighted.
How Raymond Bussell Merritt Compares
Offender Outcome
Convicted of murder
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Raymond Bussell Merritt is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Raymond Bussell Merritt was killed by handgun; .38 caliber.