William M. McCormack

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department — St. Louis, MO

Felonious

End of Watch June 25, 1929

Age 62

Tour of Duty 35 yrs

The Vigil Panel 57 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 175

Incident

Police Officer William McCormack was shot and killed while assigned to a cigar store that had recently been robbed at 3908 South Broadway. Officer McCormack was in a back room of the store when two robbers entered. One of the robbers took the clerk from the counter as the second went behind the counter and started to remove money from the register. As he did so he spotted Officer McCormack and opened fire, striking him in the neck. Officer McCormack never saw or heard the suspects enter the store and was unaware the robbery was taking place. Four men were implicated in the murder of Officer McCormack. Three were apprehended and sentenced to life for murder. The actual killer was found to be in the Idaho Penitentiary almost two years later. He was returned to Missouri, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life. One of the others was paroled on January 31, 1936, and another on December 29, 1936.

Survivors

Officer McCormack had been with the agency for 3 years and was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MO-0D654F28
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

35 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer McCormack gave the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department 35 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer McCormack.

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

Agency

Department St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

Location St. Louis, MO

Platform Identity stlopd.saintlouis.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 25, 1929

Tour of Duty 35 yrs

Age 62

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Sentenced to life

Police Officer William M. McCormack is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 112 of 176 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.6% of this agency's fallen.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

112

of 176 officers

63.6% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious