Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Echols was shot and killed while making his normal rounds in the business district. He came across three men who were preparing to rob a bank and they shot him.
All three suspects were apprehended. Two were convicted of murder and sentenced to 99 years. On August 7, 1931, one was shot and killed when he attempted to escape from Eastham Prison Farm. The other suspect was pardoned by Governor Coke R. Stevenson on February 2, 1944.
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BO-US-TX-CBD117AB- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
46 years. You could have gone home.
Chief of Police Echols gave the Van Alstyne Police Department 46 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Van Alstyne community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Echols.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police W. L. Echols 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. L. Echols's cause is highlighted.
How W. L. Echols Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. W. L. Echols is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Van Alstyne Police Department are honored on badge.nw.