William Oscar McCarty
Agency patch
Constable

William Oscar McCarty

Felonious
End of Watch April 11, 1942
Age 57
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 1 mo
The Vigil Panel 79 ›
Gender Male

Incident

On Saturday, April 11, 1942, around 9:45 p.m. Burnet County Precinct 4 Constable William Oscar McCarty, 57, attempted to quiet a disturbance outside a motion picture theater in Marble Falls, Burnet County, Texas. He asked Robert Felder, 35, to leave the front of the theater. Felder and the constable exchanged words. Felder and Constable McCarty each fired two rounds at each other. McCarty was shot in the heart and died at 10:05 p.m. A stray bullet struck a female bystander in the hand. Felder fled the scene and surrendered to sheriff deputies at the county seat in Burnet. On June 25, 1942, Felder was convicted in a one-day trial and sentenced to two to 25 years in the state prison. His appeal was denied. He was paroled on January 20, 1948.

William Oscar McCarty had been elected Constable of Precinct 4 on November 5, 1940 and commissioned on February 17, 1941. His earlier occupation had been listed as a farmer. He was survived by his wife, Katie, and four children – Mary, William, Josephine and Oscar. He was buried in the family plot in the Marble Falls Cemetery in Burnet County.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, Katie, and four children – Mary, William, Josephine and Oscar.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-EDECB9E7
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

You barely got started.
Constable McCarty gave the Burnet County Constable's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Burnet community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable McCarty.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Burnet, TX
Platform Identity bccop4co.burnet.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 11, 1942
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 1 mo
Age 57
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

Constable William Oscar McCarty 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%.

Burnet County Constable's Office - Precinct 4
1
of 1 officers
100% 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 Oscar McCarty's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Oscar McCarty Compares

Age at Death
57
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1.1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Oscar McCarty is highlighted in Apr.

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 Oscar McCarty was killed by handgun.

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

0 officers from Burnet County Constable's Office - Precinct 4 are honored on badge.nw.