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Sheriff

Gaylord Lyman

Lucas County Sheriff's Office — Chariton, IA

Felonious

End of Watch July 6, 1870

Age 42

The Vigil Panel 4 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 1

Incident

Sheriff Gaylord Lyman was shot and killed by a suspected horse thief who had been brought to him by a group of citizens.

The suspect was lynched by the mob after he murdered the sheriff.

Sheriff Lyman was survived by his wife and five children. He is buried in Chariton Cemetery, Chariton, Iowa.

Survivors

Sheriff Lyman was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IA-97F535CE
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

156 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Lyman served with the Lucas County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Chariton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Lucas County Sheriff's Office

Location Chariton, IA

Platform Identity lcso.lucas.ia.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 6, 1870

Age 42

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Lynched by mob

Sheriff Gaylord Lyman 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 IA, 129 of 226 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.9 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Lucas County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Lucas County Sheriff's Office

of 2 officers

100% Felonious

IA — Statewide

129

of 226 officers

57.1% 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. Gaylord Lyman'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 Gaylord Lyman Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Lynched by mob

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Gaylord Lyman is highlighted in Jul.

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. Gaylord Lyman was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type

5,083

Handgun

2,077

Shotgun

922

Officer's handgun

909

Automobile; Alcohol involved

530

Rifle

518

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Lucas County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.