Henry W. Epperson
Agency patch
Sheriff

Henry W. Epperson

Felonious
End of Watch January 20, 1890
Age 36
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 10 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff Henry Epperson was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a gambler at Lake Butler. Sheriff Epperson and a detective from Waycross, Georgia, were searching for another man when they encountered the suspect. Sheriff Epperson decided to arrest the man on other charges and was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire. The suspect was convicted of Sheriff Epperson's murder and sentenced to death. He escaped before the sentence could be carried out and it is unknown if he was ever recaptured. Sheriff Epperson took office after his father, Sheriff George Epperson, was shot and killed on December 12, 1885.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-9A85B62A
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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Tributes

136 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Epperson gave the Bradford County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Starke community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Starke, Bradford County, FL
Platform Identity bcso.bradford.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 20, 1890
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Sheriff Henry W. Epperson 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 97,772 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 Bradford County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 83.3% of this agency's fallen.

Bradford County Sheriff's Office
5
of 6 officers
83.3% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry W. Epperson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Henry W. Epperson Compares

Age at Death
36
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry W. Epperson 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. Henry W. Epperson was killed by gun.

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