William Hauley Coleman
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Hauley Coleman

Felonious
End of Watch January 8, 2012
Age 50
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
The Vigil Panel 161 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Coleman was shot and killed while responding to a burglary call in Anthem at approximately 4:15 am.

As he and another deputy arrived at the scene they encountered a male subject inside of a van at a medical building near the intersection of Anthem Way and Gavilan Peak Parkway. As they attempted to make contact with the man he opened fire on them with a rifle, striking Deputy Coleman below his vest. The suspect was killed by return gunfire from other deputies.

Deputy Coleman was transported to John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

Deputy Coleman had served with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for 20 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, four children, his father, and four siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-0CD44F2D
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

20 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Coleman gave the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Coleman.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ
Platform Identity mcso.maricopa.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 8, 2012
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
Age 50
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle

Deputy Sheriff William Hauley Coleman 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 AZ, 204 of 330 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.8% of this state's fallen. That is 61.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, 11 of 28 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 39.3% of this agency's fallen.

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
11
of 28 officers
39.3% Felonious
AZ — Statewide
204
of 330 officers
61.8% 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 Hauley Coleman's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Hauley Coleman Compares

Age at Death
50
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
20
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Hauley Coleman is highlighted in Jan.

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 Hauley Coleman was killed by rifle.

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

Incident Location