William W. Cumberledge
Agency patch
Constable

William W. Cumberledge

Felonious
End of Watch September 1, 1941
Age 54
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 78 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable William Cumberledge was shot and killed by a suspect in retaliation for arresting the man for drunkenness the previous week.

The suspect went to the constable's home in Pampa and awoke the constable. When Constable Cumberledge went outside to speak to the man, he was shot in the head and side.

The suspect, 53, was located the next day Bovina, 130 miles away, but shot himself in the head as officers attempted to arrest him. He was taken to a hospital in Clovis, New Mexico, 24 miles away. He survived the wound and was released from the hospital and returned to Pampa seven weeks later but had to be returned when health complications developed. He was deemed unfit to stand trial due to brain damage that left him partially paralyzed and with the I.Q. of a 10-year-old child.

Constable Cumberledge had served with the agency for 1 year.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-EE5403C1
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

You barely got started.
Constable Cumberledge gave the Gray County Constable's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Pampa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Cumberledge.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Pampa, TX
Platform Identity gccop1co.gray.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 1, 1941
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 54
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .38 caliber

Constable William W. Cumberledge 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%.

Gray County Constable's Office - Precinct 1
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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 W. Cumberledge's cause is highlighted.

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

How William W. Cumberledge Compares

Age at Death
54
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William W. Cumberledge is highlighted in Sep.

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 W. Cumberledge was killed by handgun; .38 caliber.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Gray County Constable's Office - Precinct 1 are honored on badge.nw.