Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Charles Buzard died from complications of being exposed to tear gas and ammonia bombs as officers and members of the Missouri National Guard in an attempt to prevent an angry mob of citizens from storming the Buchanan County Jail to lynch a prisoner.
The officers and National Guardsmen were unable to prevent the mob from forcibly entering the jail, at the southwest corner of 5th Street and Faraon Street, and the prisoner was lynched.
Deputy Buzard became ill and remained in the hospital for several weeks after the incident. He was able to return to work but continued to suffer several side effects and died on November 21st, 1935.
Deputy Buzard weighed almost 400 pounds and was considered to be the largest sheriff's deputy in the United States at the time of the incident.
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9
Chris Di Gerolamo Federal Air Marshal Service April 19th, 2022
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-949FE3C1- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Buzard gave the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the St. Joseph community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Buzard.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Charles Jacob Buzard is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Jacob Buzard's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Jacob Buzard Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Jacob Buzard is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Buchanan County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
