End of Watch April 13, 1954
Age 45
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
The Vigil Panel 90 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Investigator William Shields was killed in an automobile crash while pursuing a bootlegging suspect in Carroll County, Georgia. The two cars were traveling along Rainey Road which intersected with Highway 101 at the Carroll County-Paulding County line. The vehicles were unable to make the turn and both crashed. Investigator Shields died from his injuries. His partner was seriously injured. Investigator Shields had served with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit for five years and had previously served with the Georgia Department of Revenue - Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit for 15 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-BD25D94C
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

20 years. You could have gone home.
Investigator Shields gave the United States Department of the Treasury 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Investigator Shields.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdtirsattdfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 13, 1954
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Weapon Automobile

Investigator William Leroy Shields 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 DC, 453 of 1,418 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 31.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division, 6 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division
6
of 15 officers
40% Accident
DC — Statewide
453
of 1,418 officers
31.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Leroy Shields's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Leroy Shields Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
20
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Leroy Shields is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location