William Kurtz Kremer
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Kurtz Kremer

Felonious
End of Watch December 10, 1898
Age 22
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 15 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Kremer was shot and killed on his first day as a deputy while assisting the sheriff and other officers serve two arrest warrants in Orange City. The two men had the warrants sworn out against them as a result of a domestic dispute. As the officers attempted to arrest them the men opened fire, fatally wounding Deputy Kremer and seriously wounding the chief deputy. One of the suspects was shot and killed by return fire. The second man fled and was never apprehended. It was later determined that both men were also wanted for several train robberies. Two of Deputy Kremer's uncles were shot and killed in the line of duty while also serving with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Jefferson Kurtz was shot and killed on August 25, 1895, and Deputy Charles Kurtz was shot and killed on September 3, 1907.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-A2DFE676
Stewardship
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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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Tributes

128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Kremer served with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the DeLand community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Location DeLand, FL
Platform Identity vcso.volusia.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 10, 1898
Tour of Duty
Age 22
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Shot and killed

Deputy Sheriff William Kurtz Kremer 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 Volusia County Sheriff's Office, 4 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80% of this agency's fallen.

Volusia County Sheriff's Office
4
of 5 officers
80% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% 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 Kurtz Kremer'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 Kurtz Kremer Compares

Age at End of Watch
22
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Shot and killed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Kurtz Kremer is highlighted in Dec.

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 Kurtz Kremer 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