Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff George Brooker succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained three days earlier while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a man who had made threats.
The man was living in a floating cabin on Quiver Lake and had threatened the life of a farmer who owned the adjacent land. Fearing for his life, the farmer swore out a warrant for the man.
As Sheriff Brooker attempted to serve the warrant the man ordered him to stay away from the cabin. Sheriff Brooker tried to calm the man down as he advanced, but as he stepped onto the plank connecting the cabin to the shore the man fired two blasts from his double-barreled shotgun. Both blasts struck Sheriff Brooker in the abdomen, causing a fatal wound.
Sheriff Brooker's younger brother A.A. Brooker, who served as a deputy, arrested the subject and charged him with Sheriff Brooker's murder. On August 15, 1895, the suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years.
Sheriff Brooker had served as sheriff for four years, from 1886-1890, and had just started the first year of his second term. He had previously served as the city marshal of Mason City and of Havana.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two grown children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-IL-F0FD56D5- 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
132 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Brooker gave the Mason County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Havana community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff George Brooker 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 IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 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. George Brooker's cause is highlighted.
How George Brooker Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 25 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. George Brooker is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. George Brooker was killed by shotgun.