Samuel William Pinnell
Agency patch
Special Deputy Sheriff

Samuel William Pinnell

Warren County Sheriff's Office — Warrenton, NC
Felonious
End of Watch May 3, 1929
Age 35
The Vigil Panel 57 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Deputy Sheriff Sam Pinnell was shot and killed by a man he was attempting to arrest for a murder he had committed in 1913.

Deputy Pinnell and several other deputies had gone to the man's home near Afton.

The man was convicted of first-degree murder and executed in the electric chair on April 4th, 1930.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-9705B739
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Deputy Sheriff Pinnell served with the Warren County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Warrenton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Deputy Sheriff Pinnell.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Warrenton, Warren County, NC
Platform Identity wcso.warren.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 3, 1929
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .32 caliber

Special Deputy Sheriff Samuel William Pinnell 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 97,784 officers honored here.

In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 58 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Warren County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Warren County Sheriff's Office
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
NC — Statewide
385
of 664 officers
58% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,784 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Samuel William Pinnell's cause is highlighted.

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

How Samuel William Pinnell Compares

Age at Death
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Samuel William Pinnell is highlighted in May.

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. Samuel William Pinnell was killed by handgun; .32 caliber.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Warren County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.