William Smith
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Smith

Felonious
End of Watch December 24, 1923
Age 46
The Vigil Panel 46 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Smith was shot and killed in a shootout with a suspect on Christmas Eve.

After murdering Deputy Smith, the suspect fled into the nearby mountains. A posse that was assembled to pursue him reached the town of Glomawr and were searching for him when someone in a store threw a fire cracker at them.

Thinking they were being fired upon by the suspect, the posse opened fire towards the store, killing several occupants.

Deputy Smith was survived by his wife and six children.

Survivors

Deputy Smith was survived by his wife and six children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-4DE8E6EE
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.
Deputy Sheriff Smith served with the Perry County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Hazard community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Smith.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Hazard, Perry County, KY
Platform Identity pcso.perry.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 24, 1923
Age 46
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Deputy Sheriff William Smith 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 76.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Perry County Sheriff's Office, 19 of 19 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Perry County Sheriff's Office
19
of 19 officers
100% Felonious
KY — Statewide
755
of 983 officers
76.8% 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 Smith's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Smith Compares

Age at Death
46
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Smith is highlighted in Dec.

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 Smith 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