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Police Officer

Bryon Merritt

Beaumont Police Department — Beaumont, TX

Felonious

End of Watch December 17, 1905

Age 29

Tour of Duty

The Vigil Panel 50 · Column 1 · Line 9 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 20

Incident

Officer Bryon Merritt was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man who was walking along streetcar tracks carrying two pistols.

Motorman Bryon Merritt, who was commissioned as a Beaumont police officer, brought his streetcar to a stop just in front of the man. Stepping to the right side of the vestibule, he ordered the man to consider himself under arrest. The subject spoke to Officer Merritt, and asked him if he had a gun, and on Officer Merritt answering in the negative, the man immediately raised one of his revolvers and fired at close range, striking him in the chest. Officer Merritt ran about 20 steps after being shot and fell face first at the side of the track.

The man proceeded to a nearby house and told the resident to take his wife and child and flee because he intended to kill the officers coming after him and die with them. Deputy Constable Elijah Pevito, of the Jefferson County Constable's Office - Precinct 1, along with Jefferson County sheriff's deputies and Beaumont police officers arrived at the home and surrounded it. Deputy Constable Pevito approached the front of the house while the other officers took up positions on the sides and rear. Suddenly a shot rang out and Deputy Constable Pevito was seen staggering backward near the fence and fall to the ground. His heart was penetrated and death resulted almost instantly.

The man came out with two revolvers still clutched in his hands. He was ordered to drop the guns but made a move to shoot the officers. One of the deputies fired a Winchester rifle and struck the man in the temple, killing him instantly.

Officer Merritt applied for a position on the Beaumont police force on the first of December and asked for a 15-day lay off from the streetcar company to see if he liked police work. He was assigned the night beat at Pearl Street and Crockett Street for seven to 10 days. He decided to return to the streetcar company a few days before he was killed. All newspaper accounts reported that Officer Merritt was still commissioned as a Beaumont police officer and he was attempting to arrest the man when he was killed.

Officer Merritt was survived by a wife, two small children, three brothers, and two sisters. He was buried in the Magnolia Cemetery in Beaumont.

Survivors

Officer Merritt was survived by a wife, two small children, three brothers, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Merritt served with the Beaumont Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Beaumont community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Merritt.

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

Agency

Department Beaumont Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Beaumont, Jefferson County, TX

Platform Identity bpd.jefferson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 17, 1905

Tour of Duty

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Bryon is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1905, 81 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 82nd heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Bryon was 29. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Bryon had served 0 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

December holds 9.4% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded