Roll of Honor
William Andrew Smith
Incident
Location: North Carolina Weapon: Handgun Offender: Sentenced to life
Sergeant William Smith was shot and killed by a hobo in the Milan freight yards in Fayetteville, North Carolina, between 5:00 am and 6:00 am.
Sergeant Smith was patrolling the yards before leaving on a train to Rocky Mount when the shooting took place. The suspect was able to flee the scene and on September 3rd, 1930, shot and killed Detective Lyle Clements, who was also a detective with the railroad, in the Dunlop rail yards in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Detective Clements was shot and killed in a coal car where he discovered the hobo and attempted to arrest him. The man shot Detective Clements four times. Detective Clements was able to return fire and wound the suspect in the leg. After the shooting the suspect threw his body from the moving train. The man, 28, was arrested two weeks later in Charleston, South Carolina, and confessed to both murders. On July 7, 1929, he had escaped from a prison work camp in Virginia where he was serving a five year sentence for malicious shooting on July 2, 1927. On October 23, 1930, he was convicted of Detective Clements' murder and sentenced to life in the Virginia Penitentiary.
Sergeant Smith had been with the agency for seven years and had previously served as a member of the Fayetteville Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-8EEAC9E7- 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.
Sergeant Smith gave the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jacksonville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant William Andrew 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department, 6 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Andrew Smith's cause is highlighted.
How William Andrew Smith Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Andrew Smith is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Andrew Smith was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
