William T. Gaskin
Agency patch
Police Officer

William T. Gaskin

Huntsville Police Department — Huntsville, AL
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch August 27, 1968
Age 22
Tour of Duty 3 mo
The Vigil Panel 104 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer William Gaskin was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Toll Gate Road. He had radioed to dispatch that he was making the stop and was found by other officers suffering from a gunshot wound. He was still holding the suspect's driver's license when he was found. The man was committed to a mental institution where he was stabbed to death two years later. Police Officer Gaskin was a U.S. Army veteran had only served with the Huntsville Police Department for three months.

Survivors

He was survived by his three aunts and uncles.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-ECF71C28
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. William is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Gaskin served with the Huntsville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Huntsville, AL
Platform Identity hpd.madison.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 27, 1968
Tour of Duty 3 mo
Age 22
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Military Service

William T. Gaskin served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer William T. Gaskin 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In AL, 405 of 643 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63% of this state's fallen. That is 63 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Huntsville Police Department, 7 of 13 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.8% of this agency's fallen.

Huntsville Police Department
7
of 13 officers
53.8% Felonious
AL — Statewide
405
of 643 officers
63% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William T. Gaskin's cause is highlighted.

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

How William T. Gaskin Compares

Age at Death
22
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William T. Gaskin is highlighted in Aug.

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 T. Gaskin was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location

Military Service

William T. Gaskin served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

Visit William T. Gaskin’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.