Samuel D. Ball
Agency patch
City Marshal

Samuel D. Ball

Sherman Police Department — Sherman, TX
Felonious
End of Watch February 2, 1880
Age 33
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 6 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Ball was shot and killed while attempting to eject a group of men who were creating a disturbance at a local house of prostitution.

Survivors

He had been the City Marshal for two years and was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-4D2BA76B
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

146 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Ball gave the Sherman Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sherman community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Sherman, Grayson County, TX
Platform Identity spd.grayson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 2, 1880
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

City Marshal Samuel D. Ball 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Sherman Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Sherman Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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. Samuel D. Ball's cause is highlighted.

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

How Samuel D. Ball Compares

Age at Death
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Samuel D. Ball is highlighted in Feb.

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.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Sherman Police Department are honored on badge.nw.