Nash Blaine Dawdy, 22, male, was a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer from Cleburne who was excited to be moving into his first place on his own when tragedy struck. On Friday, July 25, 2025, while helping move into a new apartment in Cleburne, a firearm discharged and struck him. Authorities described the shooting as accidental.
He was rushed for emergency care as family, friends, and colleagues tried to make sense of how a happy milestone could turn so suddenly into a crisis.
Despite intensive treatment, Dawdy died on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Fort Worth. In the hours before his passing, his family elected to donate his organs, a final act consistent with the kindness his coworkers said he showed on the job. Obituaries remembered a young man born in Fort Worth in 2002 who poured energy into serving his community as a correctional officer, and whose gentle nature earned respect among colleagues and neighbors.
Investigators publicly characterized the shooting as accidental and did not announce any arrests or name any suspects. The case entered the record of regional gun-death trackers as an off-duty, unintentional shooting tied to the July 25 incident date, and local news outlets framed the law-enforcement updates the same way. No criminal charges or suspects were identified in official statements available to the public.
Loved ones organized services and remembrances through local funeral homes and memorial listings, gathering in mid-August to celebrate his life at Joshua Methodist Church. Community members also launched a fundraiser to help with final arrangements and unforeseen expenses, sharing stories of a young officer whose promise was cut short and whose final gift helped others live.
