Pasco County To Dedicate Memorial To Fallen Sheriff's Deputy

LACOOCHEE, FL — A Vietnam veteran and 31-year member of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office will be memorialized June 1 in Lacoochee 15 years after he was shot and killed in the line of duty.

The Bo Harrison Memorial will be dedicated at 10 a.m. at the Lacoochee Boys & Girls Club, 38724 Mud Cat Grant Blvd.

On June 1, 2003, around 2 a.m., while on surveillance near a nightclub on U.S. 301 in Lacoochee, Harrison was fatally shot by a sniper while sitting in his patrol car. Using a high-powered rifle, the sniper shot at the patrol car from some nearby woods. The bullet went through the trunk of the patrol car and struck Harrison in the back.

The shooting shocked the county. Well-known and universally liked and respected, Harrison, 57, was set to retire 15 days before he was shot.

He grew up in Dade City where he was a high school football star. After high school, he served as an Army paratrooper in Vietnam before returning to Pasco County to serve his community.

He left behind a wife, a son and two daughters.

In 2004, the Florida Legislature renamed a stretch of U.S. 301 in Pasco County in Harrison’s honor. The City Council of Dade City also renamed part of 11th Street where Harrison once lived after the Dade City native.

Now Harrison, who volunteered as a youth football coach, will be remembered by future generations of children at the Boys & Girls Club as Pasco County unveils the memorial bearing his name.

In addition, the city council in Dade City has proclaimed June 1 as Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison Day in perpetuity.

The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony, which is expected to last about an hour.

Images via Pasco Sheriff