Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police William Kerstetter succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when he entered a home to take custody of a 21-year-old mental patient and take him to Harrisburg Hospital. The subject also shot and critically wounded his father.
The patient's father had requested the chief's help in taking his son back to the hospital. The suspect shot Chief Kerstetter three times in the head, neck, and shoulder. He was committed at Fairview Hospital for the criminally insane. He was still there in 1950.
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BO-US-PA-677AD984- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Kerstetter gave the Sunbury Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sunbury community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Kerstetter.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police William J. Kerstetter 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 97,756 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William J. Kerstetter's cause is highlighted.
How William J. Kerstetter Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William J. Kerstetter is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Sunbury Police Department are honored on badge.nw.