JOHNSON COUNTY, Ga. — A 28-year-old man was shot and killed while serving the citizens of Johnson County, only seven months after joining the sheriff's office.
It has been 30 years since Danny Lee Elbert's life "was maliciously taken by an inmate," the Johnson County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.
He was shot in the head by an inmate, Jackie Johnson, who then stole a patrol car and drove away as part of a jailbreak. They would later find that patrol car wrecked in Jefferson County, according to 13WMAZ coverage from the time.
But now, all these years later, Johnson County Sheriff Greg Rawland has renamed the Johnson County law enforcement center to honor Elbert and his sacrifice.
"It is my distinguished honor to officially rename the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Center to honor the memory of Deputy Sheriff Danny Lee Elbert," they wrote on Facebook.
Johnson was sentenced to life in prison, according to Officer Down, which provides memorials for law enforcement officials killed during the line of duty. His girlfriend was accused of smuggling a gun into the jail, which Johnson used to kill Elbert.
"He lost his life in the line of duty while serving to protect the citizens of Johnson County," the sheriff's office said on Facebook. "During his tenure as a Peace Officer with the State of Georgia, Deputy Elbert served with pride, honor and selfless service."
According to previous coverage, his family said that Elbert was passionate about serving the people of Johnson County.
"He's a fine young man," a family member told 13WMAZ at Elbert's funeral. "He was very conscientious about his job."
His friends and family said that he cared deeply about the community — even the inmates at the jail. They said he once bought a shoeless inmate a pair of shoes. That inmate was Johnson, the very person who would kill him two weeks later.
Now, the jail in which he once worked bears his name: the Danny Elbert Law Enforcement Center.
In their Facebook post announcing the change, the sheriff's office said they provided Elbert's family with a flag that was once flown over the sheriff's office. They also gave them a badge.