Roll of Honor
William H. Greer
Incident
Location: Tennessee Incident Date: Saturday, October 14, 1899 Weapon: Rifle; Winchester Offender: Arrested
Deputy Marshal William Greer was shot and killed in Unicoi County, Tennessee, just over the North Carolina state line while attempting to serve a warrant.
The subject named on the warrant owned a house on the Tennessee side of the line and a store on the North Carolina side. When Deputy Marshal Greer arrived at the location, the man stepped over the line into Tennessee and told him that he had no jurisdiction in Tennessee.
Deputy Marshal Greer grabbed hold of the subject's arm and told him he was under arrest. The man, who was holding a Winchester rifle, shot Deputy Marshal Greer in the leg and then attempted to flee. Deputy Marshal Greer returned fire and wounded the subject in the arm as he fled.
The subject remained at large for several weeks until being apprehended by bounty hunters and returned to North Carolina to face trial. The man was convicted of tax charges and sentenced to four years in prison, but it is not known if he was ever convicted of Deputy Marshal Greer's murder.
Deputy Marshal Greer rode his horse back to town, where his condition continued to worsen. The wound developed gangrene, and he died as a result on October 26th, 1899.
Deputy Marshal Greer had served with the United States Marshals Service for five months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter.
In Our Keeping
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Deputy U.S. Marshal Greer served with the United States Department of Justice.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy U.S. Marshal William H. Greer 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 Justice - United States Marshals Service, 251 of 313 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William H. Greer's cause is highlighted.
How William H. Greer Compares
Offender Outcome
Arrested
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William H. Greer is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William H. Greer was killed by rifle; winchester.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
312 officers from United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
