Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Ben Wilder was shot and killed while he and two other deputies were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on an individual who had fired a shotgun at a relative during an argument over possession of an electric fan. Sergeant Wilder and one deputy were at the front door of the house on Wiggins Road, two mile south of Highway 92 in Plant City, when the other deputies looked through a carport window into the living room of the house and saw the suspect at the front door with a shotgun. The suspect fired the shotgun through the closed jalousie glass of the door, striking Sergeant Wilder in the head and striking the second deputy in the left forearm. Sergeant Wilder died immediately; the second deputy later had his arm amputated. Law enforcement officers from a variety of state and local agencies responded to the scene and surrounded the house in the darkness. After multiple rounds of tear gas were fired into the house, the killer came out the front door, pointed his shotgun at a nearby deputy and was immediately shot and killed by police gunfire. Sergeant Wilder had been with the agency for eight years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-B069F067- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Wilder gave the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tampa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Wilder.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Ben P. Wilder, Jr. is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 15 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ben P. Wilder, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Ben P. Wilder, Jr. Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ben P. Wilder, Jr. is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Ben P. Wilder, Jr. was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
