Roll of Honor
Augustus Marion "Gus" Lewis, Jr.
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Gus Lewis was shot and killed in an ambush attack while working on his ranch in retaliation for reporting the location of escaped inmates.
A group of inmates who escaped from the Atascosa jail and state penitentiary were terrorizing the area. Angry that Deputy Lewis had notified the sheriff and other law enforcement of their location, a group of them lay in wait for him on his property in Pleasanton. When they found him alone, one man shot him in the back, and the others riddled his body with bullets. When Deputy Lewis did not return home, a search was initiated. His body was not discovered until ten days later.
In May of 1883, one of the suspects confessed to killing Deputy Lewis. He was killed in a subsequent shootout with the arresting sheriff and posse. The other two suspects were apprehended.
Deputy Lewis was survived by his wife and two children.
Survivors
Deputy Lewis was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-B213F9D5- 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
144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Lewis gave the Atascosa County Sheriff's Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jourdanton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Augustus Marion "Gus" Lewis, Jr. 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Atascosa County Sheriff's Department, 7 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Augustus Marion "Gus" Lewis, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Augustus Marion "Gus" Lewis, Jr. Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Augustus Marion "Gus" Lewis, Jr. is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Augustus Marion "Gus" Lewis, Jr. was killed by gun; unknown type.
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Atascosa County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
