William Conway
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Conway

Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office — Kansas City, KS
Felonious
End of Watch May 11, 1896
Age 45
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 13 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Conway was shot and killed near White Church, Kansas, while attempting to arrest several men suspected of stealing chickens.

He had ridden alongside their wagon and ordered them to stop. The man opened fire on him, striking him in the head and killing him instantly. Before being shot, he was able to return fire and it is believed he wounded one of the subjects.

Deputy Conway had served with the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for approximately three years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two grown children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-3E6BA679
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

130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Conway gave the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Kansas City, Wyandotte County, KS
Platform Identity wcso.wyandotte.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 11, 1896
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Deputy Sheriff William Conway 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 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 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

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
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

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

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

How William Conway Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Conway 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. William Conway was killed by gun; unknown type.

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

Incident Location