Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police William White was shot and killed from ambush by a man he had arrested for selling liquor without a license several weeks earlier.
Chief White was returning home from a visit with a friend when he was hit with a load of buckshot. He was walking along Main Street, between the Courthouse and Watts Street, when he was ambushed. After shooting Chief White, the subject hid the shotgun behind a house and ran home. He was arrested by the county sheriff a short time later at his house.
The man was convicted of first-degree murder and executed in the electric chair on May 17th, 1912.
Chief White had served as the Chief of Police with the Williamston Police Department for three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-D827D446- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police White gave the Williamston Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Williamston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police White.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police William Robert White is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Robert White's cause is highlighted.
How William Robert White Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1912
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Robert White is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Robert White was killed by shotgun.