Roll of Honor
William Erastus Whitehurst
Incident
Deputy Sheriff William Whitehurst was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a drunk man who was causing a public disturbance.
As he struggled with the original suspect, another man opened fire on him, killing him. The suspect was acquitted.
He was survived by his parents and six siblings.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents and six siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-72B84E41- 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
133 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Whitehurst served with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Tampa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff William Erastus Whitehurst 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 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 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 15 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Erastus Whitehurst's cause is highlighted.
How William Erastus Whitehurst Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Erastus Whitehurst is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
