William Bullard
Agency patch
Overseer

William Bullard

Missouri Department of Corrections — Jefferson City, MO
Felonious
End of Watch June 14, 1841
Age 26
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 1 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Overseer William Bullard was killed after being assaulted by several inmates during an escape at the Missouri State Penitentiary.

As one of the inmates distracted him, another struck him in the back of the head with a hammer. He was then held down and beaten to death before the suspects stole his keys and gun. A total of nine prisoners escaped.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-A2FF1BF8
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

185 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Overseer Bullard gave the Missouri Department of Corrections 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Missouri. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Corrections
Location Jefferson City, MO
Platform Identity mdcorr.cole.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 14, 1841
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Blunt object

Overseer William Bullard 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 63.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Missouri Department of Corrections, 9 of 20 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 45% of this agency's fallen.

Missouri Department of Corrections
9
of 20 officers
45% Felonious
MO — Statewide
516
of 813 officers
63.5% 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. William Bullard's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Bullard Compares

Age at Death
26
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. William Bullard is highlighted in Jun.

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. William Bullard was killed by blunt object.

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

Incident Location