William M. Scudder
Agency patch
Undersheriff

William M. Scudder

Felonious
End of Watch May 14, 1884
Age 39
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 8 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Undersheriff William Scudder was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man who had assaulted a deputy the previous day.

The man shot Undersheriff Scudder in the chest during the arrest. The subject was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Undersheriff Scudder had served two years with the Barry County Sheriff's Office and previously served as the Sergeant-at-Arms for two sessions of the Michigan Senate.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-1F9D1519
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

142 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Undersheriff Scudder gave the Barry County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hastings community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Hastings, Barry County, MI
Platform Identity bcso.barry.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 14, 1884
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

Undersheriff William M. Scudder 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 MI, 426 of 719 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.2% of this state's fallen. That is 59.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Barry County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
MI — Statewide
426
of 719 officers
59.2% 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 M. Scudder's cause is highlighted.

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

How William M. Scudder Compares

Age at Death
39
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William M. Scudder is highlighted in May.

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 M. Scudder was killed by handgun.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Barry County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.