William Francis Henderson
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Francis Henderson

Felonious
End of Watch August 29, 1954
Age 52
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 90 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Henderson was shot and killed while questioning a man during a traffic stop. The suspect fled but later committed suicide. Deputy Henderson had been with the agency for three years and was survived by his wife and five children.

Survivors

Deputy Henderson had been with the agency for three years and was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-87D412C4
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 Henderson gave the Lynn County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tahoka community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Henderson.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Tahoka, Lynn County, TX
Platform Identity lcso.lynn.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 29, 1954
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 52
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

Deputy Sheriff William Francis Henderson 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%.

At Lynn County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Lynn County Sheriff's Office
3
of 4 officers
75% 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 Francis Henderson's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Francis Henderson Compares

Age at Death
52
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 Francis Henderson is highlighted in Aug.

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 Francis Henderson was killed by handgun.

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