Robert Gotel was 23 and a Monticello, Georgia patrolman when he was shot and killed in the line of duty on August 27, 1979. He had served about a year on the police department. Gotel and the police chief went to a residence to arrest a 99-year-old man for brandishing a firearm; as officers tried to enter the home the man fired a pistol and a single round struck Gotel in the head, a wound that proved fatal. He was survived by his parents and six siblings.

Decades later the city has acted to remember his service: in 2021 the Monticello City Council agreed to place a sign on Blue Ruin Street in his honor.

If anyone knew Patrolman Gotel, his family, or has information about the events of August 27, 1979, please share what can help clarify the case.