William Chester Jackson
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Chester Jackson

Felonious
End of Watch April 27, 1971
Age 64
Tour of Duty 40 yrs
The Vigil Panel 108 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Jackson was shot and killed after responding to a burglary call at a United States Forest Service Warehouse at 10:00 a.m. The subject fled the station and Deputy Jackson found him at the Salyer Wayside Chapel at 1020 CA-299 in Salyer. While attempting to apprehend the subject, a struggle ensued. The suspect managed to gain control of his 45 caliber pistol and shot him in the head. The suspect, 35, was dropped by a shotgun blast fired by a state trooper later that day. The suspect, who was charged with capital murder, was found incompetent to stand trial and committed at a state mental institution. He was denied a release in 1977. Deputy Jackson had served with the Trinity County Sheriff's Department for forty years and was killed two months before he was set to retire.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-1389A30D
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

40 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Jackson gave the Trinity County Sheriff's Department 40 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Weaverville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Jackson.

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

Agency

Location Weaverville, CA
Platform Identity tcso.trinity.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 27, 1971
Tour of Duty 40 yrs
Age 64
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Officer's handgun
Offender Committed

Deputy Sheriff William Chester Jackson 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Trinity County Sheriff's Department, 3 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Trinity County Sheriff's Department
3
of 3 officers
100% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Chester Jackson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How William Chester Jackson Compares

Age at End of Watch
64
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
40
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Committed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Chester Jackson is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Chester Jackson was killed by officer's handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Trinity County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.