William R. Johnson
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William R. Johnson

Felonious
End of Watch July 31, 1852
Age 34
The Vigil Panel 1 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Johnson was shot and killed in the Oakland section of Contra Costa County while attempting to serve a writ of ejectment.

As he attempted to evict the man he was shot in the chest and killed. A grand jury failed to indict the subject.

Deputy Johnson was survived by his wife and two children.

Survivors

Deputy Johnson was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-AC7840D0
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

174 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Johnson served with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Martinez community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Location Martinez, CA
Platform Identity cccso.contracosta.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 31, 1852
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Not indicted

Deputy Sheriff William R. Johnson 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 Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office
2
of 3 officers
66.7% 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 R. Johnson'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 R. Johnson Compares

Age at End of Watch
34
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Not indicted

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William R. Johnson is highlighted in Jul.

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 R. Johnson was killed by gun; unknown type.

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

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.