Gary Raymond Downs

TONOPAH TIMES

August 27, 1992

Nye Deputy Killed

Nye county sheriff’s deputy Gary Downs collapsed and died early Saturday morning after an alleged altercation with a man he was trying to arrest.

According to Nye county authorities, Downs, 47, died shortly after he was allegedly punched in the chest or stomach. Albert Taylor, 28, of Tonopah, was arrested on a charge of open murder.

Authorities said Taylor was booked into the Esmeralda county jail in Goldfield so that he wouldn’t be placed in a facility operated by Down’s colleagues.

The incident began shortly after Down’s began his shift at 6 a.m., when deputies received a report of a man attempting to enter a home after an occupant had thrown him out.

According to reports, several officers responded t the scene and separated the fighting parties. Two officers went inside the residence, while tow others stayed outside and attempted to arrest Taylor. A violent struggle ensued and when the two deputies inside the house went outside to assist, Downs collapsed and dropped to the ground.

Authorities said the proximity between the time of the altercation and the time of Down’s death prompted the murder charge, but that the final determination of what charges will be filed will be made by the district attorney’s office.

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