Every day of his career, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Sgt. Wilbur Berry drove from his home in Candler County to the sheriff’s office, traveling along the curvy, scenic Westside Road in Statesboro.
Today, 17 years ago, Berry was killed in the line of duty, shot during a struggle between him, other officers and a burglary suspect.
Every year, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office holds a memorial ceremony, hanging a wreath next to a plaque that has a permanent place on the lobby wall. But this year, a gesture recognizing Berry’s sacrifice and preserving his memory would have been even more pleasing to the late law enforcement officer, his family said.
In January, Bulloch County officials named Westside Road as the Wilbur Berry Memorial Highway. A sign was ceremoniously placed as members of his families – blood kin and his law enforcement family – stood watching.
Having the road Berry loved so much named after him is “an honor,” said one of Berry’s sons, Brian Berry. “We are so excited and appreciate everything Lt. Bobby Durden did. It means a lot to us.”
Durden spearheaded the effort to have the name dedicated to Wilbur Berry.
“He would probably grin from ear to ear” about the gesture, Brian Berry said. “He drove that road every day.”
Glenn Berry, the late sergeant’s brother, said “He deserved it. He had been in office 30 years. He was a very loving, caring man and he would have appreciated that.”
Sgt. Berry was killed May 19, 2001, when he and other deputies were investigating a reportedly stolen truck and a burglary case that were intertwined. When the deputies located a suspect hiding inside a house, a struggle ensued and the suspect grabbed one of the deputies’ guns. He fired several times, fatally wounding Berry and injuring Bill Black, who is now the Bulloch County Sheriff’s chief deputy.
Black suffered shots to his shoulder and arm.
“Wilbur was a great guy,” he said. “He helped train me. He trained a lot of the guys who are still (employed with the sheriff’s office.)”
Black recalls the day with sadness – a day he will never forget. The suspect had crashed a stolen truck into a convenience store and stole items. During the struggle between the deputies and the suspect, one of the other deputies fired at the suspect, killing him, but not before Berry and Black had been struck.
Black attended Berry’s funeral in a wheelchair, arm and wounded shoulder bound. The service was held in Statesboro at the First Baptist Church on North Main Street. As mourners followed the hearse to Berry’s burial site on his family property on Spell Road in Candler County, blue lights from patrol cars flashed for miles as law enforcement officers from all over the state formed a long line to pay respects.
That procession traveled down what is known today as Wilbur Berry Memorial Highway.
“I love it,” said Berry’s daughter Melissa Deal. “I live on that road, and to see that sign every day means so much. We are very thrilled. He made several trips on that road daily and i am sure he is smiling down on it today.”
Cpl. Sissy Carter, who works in the Bulloch County Jail, remembers Berry as a mentor.
“I think it is great to honor him like this,” she said Friday, after the wreath ceremony at the jail. “His family is overjoyed. Wilbur and I were really close. He always had my back, since I was relatively new then. I trusted him.”
Wilbur didn’t come to work to lock people up. He came to work to try to help them. He wouldn’t let them get away with breaking the law, but he would try to talk to them and get them in the right direction.Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown
The day Berry was killed was a painfully tragic day for former Bulloch County sheriff Lynn Anderson, who was not able to be reached Friday for comment.
Anderson’s expression the day of Berry’s death was grave as he told this Statesboro Herald news reporter Berry had been killed. Everyone at the scene on Simmons Road at that time showed intense grief over the loss of their fellow officer.
Berry has been honored in some way every year since. After a ceremony in May, 2011, Anderson said “It was a sad day, but we’re here to remember Wilbur, and you can’t talk about Wilbur without smiling. We still miss him, and this is just a small way to honor our friend.”
Current Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown recalled the tragic day, speaking to a reporter after Friday’s ceremony honoring Berry.
“I was going to a wedding in Glennville,” he said. “My daddy called me and told me there was an officer-related incident.” Brown abandoned his plans and turned around, heading to the Simons Street home off Hwy. 80 West, where he learned about Berry’s death and Black being shot.
“Wilbur didn’t come to work to lock people up,” he said. “He came to work to try to help them. He wouldn’t let them get away with breaking the law, but he would try to talk to them and get them in the right direction.”
Berry was “a prime example of a law enforcement officer, from A to Z,” he said. “He loved people and wanted to help them.”
Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.