Purce A. Wansley

Charleston Police Dept. — Charleston, SC

Felonious

End of Watch July 14, 1936

The Vigil Panel 71 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 23

Incident

Detective Purce Wansley was shot and killed at 0100 hours when he attempted to arrest a man for threatening to kill another person. During the arrest the man produced a pistol and shot Detective Wansley five times. A week later the suspect was found hiding under a house on Duncan Street just one block from police headquarters. The suspect was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. He was executed in the electric chair on April 29, 1938.

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-SC-E6971A9F
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.
Detective Wansley served with the Charleston Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Wansley.

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

Agency

Department Charleston Police Dept.

Location Charleston, SC

Platform Identity cpd.charleston.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 14, 1936

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Offender Executed in 1938

Detective Purce A. Wansley 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 SC, 271 of 438 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Charleston Police Dept., 12 of 24 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Charleston Police Dept.

of 24 officers

50% Felonious

SC — Statewide

271

of 438 officers

61.9% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious