Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sergeant William Cook was shot and killed by a prisoner who was attempting to escape from the city jail at the intersection of Court Street and Patton Street, where the Municipal Building currently stands.
The prisoner, who had just been sentenced to the penitentiary for burglary, had obtained a pistol that had been smuggled into the jail by a female acquaintance. He shot Deputy Sergeant Cook three times and then fled from the jail.
The man committed suicide the following day after being surrounded by a posse inside a home on Washington Street. The woman who smuggled the gun to the prisoner was convicted of being an accessory before the fact and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Deputy Sergeant Cook was murdered four days before his 55th birthday.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-037062BF- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sergeant Cook served with the Danville Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Danville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sergeant William A. Cook 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 VA, 395 of 654 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William A. Cook's cause is highlighted.
How William A. Cook Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed suicide
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William A. Cook is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William A. Cook was killed by handgun.