William E. Patterson
Agency patch
Deputy City Marshal

William E. Patterson

Beaumont Police Department — Beaumont, TX
Felonious
End of Watch September 25, 1881
Age 33
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
The Vigil Panel 7 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy City Marshal William Patterson died of a gunshot wound he received the previous day after responding to a disturbance call at a local church.

When Deputy Patterson arrived he found that three suspects had broken several windows at the church. As he attempted to take the suspects into custody, one of the men drew a hidden handgun and shot him in the abdomen. Deputy Patterson died from the wound the next day.

The primary suspect was a 17-year-old youth. He was injured by the officer and later lost an arm due to gangrene. He was acquitted of murder by reason of self-defense.

Deputy Patterson had served with the Beaumont Police Department for eight years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-9DE99E2F
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

145 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy City Marshal Patterson gave the Beaumont Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Beaumont community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Beaumont, Jefferson County, TX
Platform Identity bpd.jefferson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 25, 1881
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Deputy City Marshal William E. Patterson 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%.

At Beaumont Police Department, 9 of 21 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Beaumont Police Department
9
of 21 officers
42.9% 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 E. Patterson's cause is highlighted.

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

How William E. Patterson Compares

Age at Death
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
8
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William E. Patterson 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.

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