William C. Doster
Deputy Sheriff

William C. Doster

Felonious
End of Watch May 9, 1970
Age 33
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 106 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy William Doster and Lieutenant James Waters were shot and killed while serving a warrant to a local farmer. The deputies, and a third deputy, had gone to the location and served the warrant. The suspect paid the fine on the spot and was issued a bond receipt. As the deputies returned to the patrol car the suspect stepped back out of his house and opened fire on them with a 12-gauge shotgun. Lieutenant Waters and Deputy Doster were both killed. The third deputy was seriously wounded. The suspect drove to the Rock Hill Police Department where he turned himself in. He was convicted of both murders and sentenced to life. He died in prison while serving his sentence. Deputy Doster had only served with the agency for 2 weeks.

Survivors

He was survived by his daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-D37DBD05
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Doster served with the Chester County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Chester community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Doster.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Chester, Chester County, SC
Platform Identity ccso.chester.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 9, 1970
Tour of Duty
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Shotgun

Deputy Sheriff William C. Doster 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 SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Chester County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Chester County Sheriff's Department
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
SC — Statewide
272
of 441 officers
61.7% 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 C. Doster's cause is highlighted.

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

How William C. Doster Compares

Age at Death
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William C. Doster 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 C. Doster was killed by shotgun.

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

2 officers from Chester County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.