Sheriff Frank E. "Red" Lott

Frank E. "Red" Lott

Sheriff "Red" Lott was shot and killed while responding to an alarm at Cedartown High School.

Sheriff Lott had just finished eating dinner with his family when he stopped by the office to check-in. He was there when the alarm at the high school went off and decided to investigate it on his way home.

Sheriff Lott and a trustee, Benjamin Franklin Clark, responded to the alarm. The second alarm sounded just as Sheriff Lott and Mr. Clark arrived on the scene. Sheriff Lott radioed back and learned that someone was apparently coming out of the building. Sheriff Lott drove around to the back of the school, where he noticed a man sitting inside a vehicle, the headlights on and the motor running. The sheriff stepped out of his patrol car, and as he approached the vehicle, he asked, "What are you doing?" The man then stepped out of the vehicle and fired a total of six shots. Sheriff Lott was shot three times in the chest, abdomen, and leg. He was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.

Mr. Clark managed to take Sheriff Lott's gun and fire at the suspect as he drove away. The fleeing suspect returned fire, and Mr. Clark was wounded twice in the leg and groin area.

Sheriff Lott was transported to Polk County General Hospital, where he died 45 minutes later.

A suspect was later tried for Sheriff Lott's murder in 1998 but acquitted. The case officially remains unsolved.

Sheriff Lott was a United States Army veteran of World War II and had served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office for 12 years. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.