Deputy Constable Elijah Pevito, aged 35, was shot and killed on December 17, 1905, in Beaumont, Texas. Pevito, who served in the Jefferson County Constable's Office - Precinct 1, responded to the scene of the murder of Officer Bryon Merritt of the Beaumont Police Department. Officer Merritt had attempted to arrest a man carrying two guns along the streetcar tracks when he was shot and killed.
Upon arriving at the scene, Pevito and other officers surrounded the house where the suspect had taken refuge. As Pevito approached the front of the house, a shot was fired, and he was seen staggering backward before falling to the ground with a fatal heart wound. The suspect, still armed with two revolvers, was ordered to drop his weapons but attempted to shoot the officers instead. One of the deputies fired a Winchester rifle, striking the suspect in the temple and killing him instantly.
The suspect, whose identity was not disclosed in the sources, had earlier killed Officer Merritt and warned a resident to flee with his family, indicating his intent to kill any officers who came after him. Pevito, who had moved to Beaumont from Orange four or five years earlier, had served as both a Beaumont police officer and a Jefferson County deputy sheriff.
The tragic incident resulted in the death of Deputy Constable Elijah Pevito, a dedicated officer who had served his community with distinction. His death was a significant loss to the Beaumont Police Department and the Jefferson County Constable's Office.
