On a tragic day in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, Chief Deputy Sheriff Baxter Glenn Shavers, a 24-year-old male, lost his life in the line of duty. The events of April 14, 1978, unfolded after a man named Robert Lewis Collier, an unemployed ironworker from South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, drove to Georgia with the intention of committing an armed robbery. Carrying a. 32 caliber revolver in a brown paper grocery sack, Collier entered the Plain and Fancy Florist and Bakery in Fort Oglethorpe.
He robbed the employees at gunpoint, taking money from their purses and the cash register before forcing them to lie face down as he fled.
Shortly after the robbery was reported to the Catoosa County Sheriff's Department, Chief Deputy Shavers and Sheriff's Investigator George Brown were in the area and spotted a vehicle matching the description of the getaway car. They initiated a traffic stop at 625 Battlefield Parkway. As Shavers was frisking the suspect, a struggle ensued. The suspect managed to disarm Shavers, knocking him to the ground and taking his service weapon.
The assailant then shot Investigator Brown once in the groin. As Chief Deputy Shavers, now unarmed, attempted to retreat toward his patrol car, the suspect fired at him, striking him in the neck and killing him instantly. The gunman continued to fire at the fallen deputy before getting back into his vehicle and fleeing the scene. Despite his serious injuries, Investigator Brown was able to return fire, hitting the suspect's car multiple times as it sped away.
The following day, law enforcement officers apprehended Robert Lewis Collier on Interstate 24 in Marion County, Tennessee. He was subsequently tried and convicted for the murder of Chief Deputy Shavers, the aggravated assault of Investigator Brown, and three counts of armed robbery. A jury initially sentenced Collier to death; however, this sentence was later commuted to life in prison. In honor of the fallen deputy, a portion of Battlefield Parkway was dedicated to his memory on August 12, 2005. Chief Deputy Shavers had served with the agency for five years and was survived by his wife and two children.
