Clarence Wilson Floyd
Agency patch
Sheriff

Clarence Wilson Floyd

Jasper County Sheriff's Office — Ridgeland, SC
Felonious
End of Watch January 18, 1962
Age 59
Tour of Duty 29 yrs
The Vigil Panel 97 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff Floyd was shot and killed after responding to an armed robbery on S.C. 336 in the Pineland area. A 17 year-old youth had put a log across the road and robbed a car that had to stop for the obstruction. Sheriff Floyd responded to the call and was shot in the stomach with a .22 caliber rifle as he searched nearby woods. He succumbed to his wound while en route to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia. The suspect was arrested a short time later. The suspect was convicted of first degree murder and executed in 1964. Sheriff Floyd had been Sheriff for 16 years and had been with the agency for 29 years. In November 2002 a section of the road where he was killed was renamed in honor of Sheriff Floyd.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, four sons and a daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-F5A8CDE8
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

29 years. You could have gone home.
Sheriff Floyd gave the Jasper County Sheriff's Office 29 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Ridgeland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Floyd.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Ridgeland, Jasper County, SC
Platform Identity jcso.jasper.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 18, 1962
Tour of Duty 29 yrs
Age 59
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle

Sheriff Clarence Wilson Floyd is one of 17,559 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 53.9% of all 32,587 officers honored here.

In SC, 271 of 440 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.6% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points above the national rate of 53.9%.

Jasper County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
SC — Statewide
271
of 440 officers
61.6% Felonious
Nationwide
17,559
of 32,587 officers
53.9% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Clarence Wilson Floyd's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,559 (53.9%)
Accident
10,095 (31%)
Illness
3,037 (9.3%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
334 (1%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)

How Clarence Wilson Floyd Compares

Age at End of Watch
59
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
29
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Clarence Wilson Floyd is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Clarence Wilson Floyd was killed by rifle.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909