William London
Sheriff

William London

Felonious
End of Watch September 24, 1929
Age 56
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
The Vigil Panel 58 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sheriff London was shot and killed while he and two deputies attempted to arrest a man at the man's home. The suspect opened fire on the officers with a shotgun, fatally wounding Sheriff London. The other two deputies returned fire, killing the suspect.

Survivors

Sheriff London had been with the agency for 13 years and was survived by his wife, four sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren and five siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-B39A3294
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sheriff London gave the St. Francois County Sheriff's Office 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Farmington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff London.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Farmington, MO
Platform Identity sfcso.stfrancois.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 24, 1929
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 56
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Shotgun

Sheriff William London 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 63.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At St. Francois County Sheriff's Department, 4 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80% of this agency's fallen.

St. Francois County Sheriff's Department
4
of 5 officers
80% Felonious
MO — Statewide
516
of 813 officers
63.5% 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 London's cause is highlighted.

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

How William London Compares

Age at Death
56
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 London is highlighted in Sep.

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 London was killed by shotgun.

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