Theresa Sue King
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Theresa Sue King

Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office — Kansas City, KS
Felonious
End of Watch June 16, 2018
Age 44
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
The Vigil Panel 168 ›
Gender Female

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Theresa King and Deputy Sheriff Patrick Rohrer were shot and killed as they transported a prisoner to the Wyandotte County Correction and Court Services Building, at 800 7th Street, at approximately 11:15 am.

They were unloading the prisoner from the transport van in the facility's exterior sally port when the man attacked them. He was able to disarm one of the deputies and shot them both. Despite being mortally wounded, one of the deputies was able to return fire and wounded the subject.

Deputy King was transported to a local hospital where she passed away shortly after midnight.

The suspect pleaded guilty to two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated robbery to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to two life sentences.

Deputy King had served with the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for 13 years.

Deputy King had served with the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for 13 years.

Survivors

She is survived by her three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-BD69EA32
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.
Deputy Sheriff King gave the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff King.

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

Agency

Location Kansas City, KS
Platform Identity wcso.wyandotte.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 16, 2018
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 44
Gender Female

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Officer's handgun
Offender Sentenced to two life terms

Deputy Sheriff Theresa Sue King 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 KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 16.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 10 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80% of this agency's fallen.

Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office
8
of 10 officers
80% Felonious
KS — Statewide
237
of 335 officers
70.7% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Theresa Sue King's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Theresa Sue King Compares

Age at End of Watch
44
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
13
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Sentenced to two life terms

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Theresa Sue King is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Theresa Sue King was killed by officer's handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location