Deputy Sheriff Robert O. Moore, Jr.

Robert O. Moore, Jr.

Deputy Sheriff Bob Moore was killed while attempting to rescue inmates during a fire at the Seminole County Jail.

The fire was started at 12:12 pm when an inmate on the 2nd floor lit his mattress on fire. Deputy Moore went into the building two times, freeing prisoners trapped in their cells. On his third trip through the building, he died of smoke inhalation. Ten inmates, including the inmate who started the fire, were also killed.

Deputy Moore was a United States Army, Air Force, and Navy veteran, serving in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In Korea, he was a prisoner of war for a year and a Purple Heart recipient from the Vietnam War. He had served with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office for eight months. He is survived by his wife, son, and three daughters.