William Frederick Black Jr.
Agency patch
Sergeant

William Frederick Black Jr.

Georgia State Patrol — Atlanta, GA
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch December 20, 1940
Age 29
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Badge 8
The Vigil Panel 77 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant William Black was shot and killed near Ringgold by an escaped convict from Missouri after he and his partner stopped the man's vehicle for a traffic violation. The suspect shot Sergeant Black as he approached the driver's door. The man fled on foot but was arrested after a large manhunt in Georgia and Tennessee. He was sentenced to death and executed for Sergeant Black's murder on March 12, 1943. Sergeant Black was survived by his wife. He was also a U.S. Army Reserve officer.

Survivors

Sergeant Black was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-A41FABFE
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. William is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant Black gave the Georgia State Patrol 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Georgia, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Atlanta, GA
Platform Identity ghp.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 20, 1940
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 29
Badge Number 8
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Military Service

William Frederick Black Jr. served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant William Frederick Black Jr. 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In GA, 548 of 904 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.6% of this state's fallen. That is 60.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Georgia State Patrol, 4 of 29 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 13.8% of this agency's fallen.

Georgia State Patrol
4
of 29 officers
13.8% Felonious
GA — Statewide
548
of 904 officers
60.6% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Frederick Black Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

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

How William Frederick Black Jr. Compares

Age at Death
29
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Frederick Black Jr. is highlighted in Dec.

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 Frederick Black Jr. was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location

Military Service

William Frederick Black Jr. served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

Visit William Frederick Black Jr.’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.