William D. Patton
Agency patch
City Marshal

William D. Patton

Fayetteville Police Department — Fayetteville, AR
Felonious
End of Watch July 2, 1881
Age 32
The Vigil Panel 7 ›
Gender Male

Incident

City Marshal William Patton and Deputy Sheriff John Mount, of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, were shot and killed while standing in the town square.

Marshal Patton had received death threats after fatally shooting a man while making an arrest several months prior. As he and Deputy Mount spoke in the town square they were shot from ambush and both killed.

Their killer was never apprehended.

Marshal Patton was survived by his wife and five children.

Survivors

Marshal Patton was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-CB765291
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

145 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Patton served with the Fayetteville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Fayetteville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Fayetteville, Washington County, AR
Platform Identity fayepd.washington.ar.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 2, 1881
Age 32
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

City Marshal William D. Patton 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 AR, 249 of 372 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.9% of this state's fallen. That is 66.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Fayetteville Police Department, 3 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Fayetteville Police Department
3
of 4 officers
75% Felonious
AR — Statewide
249
of 372 officers
66.9% 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 D. Patton's cause is highlighted.

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

How William D. Patton Compares

Age at Death
32
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William D. Patton is highlighted in Jul.

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 D. Patton was killed by gun; unknown type.

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

Incident Location