Born in Michigan in 1844, Deputy Sheriff George Gillis moved to Los Angeles where he joined the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. In 1881, he was shot and killed in El Monte, California, while attempting to locate a man as part of an investigation. He and the Sheriff had gone to the city earlier in the day, but the Sheriff had returned to Los Angeles after they could not locate the man. Deputy Gillis remained in El Monte and located the man fighting with another man later in the evening. Deputy Gillis identified himself as a peace officer and ordered the men to stop fighting. The man then pushed Deputy Gillis out of the saloon door, drew a handgun, and shot him. The suspect then stole Deputy Gillis’ horse and fled to San Juan Capistrano. He was captured, convicted of Deputy Gillis’ murder, and sentenced to 20 years in prison (he only served 11), but not before facing a lynch mob made up of friends of Deputy Gillis who threatened to hang him for killing the popular deputy. Notable city attorney John Godfrey saved the life of the man who murdered Deputy Gillis by suggesting the angry mob donate money to the deputy’s widow instead.