William Cunningham
Chief of Police

William Cunningham

Felonious
End of Watch May 10, 1898
Age 31
Tour of Duty 3 mo
The Vigil Panel 14 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief of Police William Cunningham was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a drunk man who was causing a disturbance in the streets. The subject had come out of a saloon and fired his gun in the air, drawing the attention of Chief Cunningham.

He walked over to arrest the subject in front of the Commercial Hotel and placed his arm on the man's shoulder. The man suddenly turned and shot him in the chest, killing him. The man then fled and shot a passerby in the hand before committing suicide.

Chief Cunningham had served with the Glen Campbell Borough Police Department for only three months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and one child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-D946337E
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

128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Chief of Police Cunningham served with the Glen Campbell Borough Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Glen Campbell community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Glen Campbell, PA
Platform Identity gcbpd.indiana.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 10, 1898
Tour of Duty 3 mo
Age 31
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

Chief of Police William Cunningham 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 47.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Glen Campbell Borough Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
PA — Statewide
597
of 1,261 officers
47.3% 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 Cunningham's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Cunningham Compares

Age at Death
31
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Cunningham 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 Cunningham was killed by handgun.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Glen Campbell Borough Police Department are honored on badge.nw.