William Morris
Sergeant

William Morris

Kansas City Police Department — Kansas City, KS
Felonious
End of Watch September 2, 1902
Age 54
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
The Vigil Panel 18 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant William Morris was shot and killed when he interrupted a robbery in progress at the Metropolitan Street car barn. He encountered two men forcing the watchman to open a safe. Sergeant Morris struck one of the suspects but was shot as he attempted to draw his revolver. One of the suspects was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life. He was granted a new trial and acquitted on October 7, 1904. A year later he was charged with robbing a drug store. Sergeant Morris had served with the agency for 11 years. His son became a Kansas City police officer a few days after his murder.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-2D8CCDF0
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.
Sergeant Morris gave the Kansas City Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Morris.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Kansas City, Wyandotte County, KS
Platform Identity kpd.wyandotte.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 2, 1902
Tour of Duty 11 yrs
Age 54
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Sergeant William Morris 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 KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Kansas City Police Department, 16 of 20 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80% of this agency's fallen.

Kansas City Police Department
16
of 20 officers
80% Felonious
KS — Statewide
237
of 335 officers
70.7% 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 Morris's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Morris Compares

Age at Death
54
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
11
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Morris 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 Morris was killed by gun.

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