Charles Leroy Wilkerson

Escambia County Sheriff's Office — Pensacola, FL

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch January 19, 1974

Age 44

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

The Vigil Panel 113 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 12

Incident

Deputy Charles Wilkerson was shot and killed when he stopped two suspects who had just committed an armed robbery. At the time, Deputy Wilkerson did not know the robbery had occurred. He had stopped the suspects on Interstate 10 near Pine Forest Road for a routine traffic stop. He talked to the men in the vehicle and went back to his patrol car. The driver exited his vehicle and shot Deputy Wilkerson twice in his head. The men fled to Alabama. One of the suspects was shot and killed a short time later. The driver was sentenced to death, but his sentence was overturned to life in prison. Deputy Wilkerson was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his son, two stepsons, his mother, and a sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FL-98ED42B5
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Charles is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Wilkerson gave the Escambia County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Pensacola community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Escambia County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Pensacola, Escambia County, FL

Platform Identity ecso.escambia.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 19, 1974

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 44

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Military Service

Charles Leroy Wilkerson served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Charles Leroy Wilkerson is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 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 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Escambia County Sheriff's Office, 10 of 13 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.9% of this agency's fallen.

Escambia County Sheriff's Office

of 13 officers

76.9% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious