Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer William Peterson was struck and killed by a drunk driver while assisting in the execution of a warrant at 9 p.m. While walking on the service road in the 6500 block of Virginia Beach Boulevard towards another patrol car, Officer Peterson was hit and knocked into a ditch. He was transported to Norfolk Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries an hour later. The driver was arrested and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving. Officer Peterson had served with the Norfolk Police Department for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, foster parents, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-B7EDA8FB- 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.
Officer Peterson gave the Norfolk Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Norfolk community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Peterson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer William Peterson is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In VA, 204 of 656 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Norfolk Police Department, 17 of 39 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 43.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Peterson's cause is highlighted.
How William Peterson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Peterson is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
38 officers from Norfolk Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
