Roll of Honor
William L. Sills
Incident
Patrol Inspector William Sills was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a smuggler along the bank of the Rio Grande River south of La Grulla, approximately 25 miles west of McAllen, Texas. He and two other inspectors had encountered three smugglers. Two of the aliens were arrested and Inspector Sills was shot while attempting to stop the third from escaping. Despite being mortally wounded, he was able to return fire and kill the suspect. Inspector Sills had served with the United States Border Patrol for three years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-66721516- 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.
Patrol Inspector Sills gave the United States Department of Labor 3 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrol Inspector Sills.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrol Inspector William L. Sills 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 DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of Labor - Immigration Service - United States Border Patrol, 20 of 28 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 71.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William L. Sills's cause is highlighted.
How William L. Sills Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William L. Sills is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William L. Sills was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
27 officers from United States Department of Labor - Immigration Service - United States Border Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
