William Earl Evans
Agency patch
Assistant Chief of Police

William Earl Evans

Whitmire Police Department — Whitmire, SC
Felonious
End of Watch May 19, 1945
Age 38
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Badge 2
The Vigil Panel 81 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Assistant Chief William Evans and Chief Robert Gilliam were shot and killed by the father of a man they had just arrested. The father came to the police station and demanded that the son be released. When the officers refused to release the son the father left and obtained a gun. The man returned to the police station and shot both officers, mortally wounding them. The officers were able to return fire and killed the suspect.

Survivors

Assistant Chief Williams had served with the agency for 13 years and was survived by his wife and three daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-0F31F8F2
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.
Assistant Chief of Police Evans gave the Whitmire Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Whitmire community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Chief of Police Evans.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Whitmire, Newberry County, SC
Platform Identity wpd.newberry.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 19, 1945
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 38
Badge Number 2
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Assistant Chief of Police William Earl Evans 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 Whitmire Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Whitmire Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% 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 Earl Evans's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Earl Evans Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
13
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Earl Evans 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 Earl Evans was killed by gun.

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

1 officer from Whitmire Police Department are honored on badge.nw.