William R. King
Agency patch
Patrolman

William R. King

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL
Felonious
End of Watch May 25, 1920
Age 43
Badge 417
The Vigil Panel 39 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman William R. King responded to a call of a man causing a disturbance on a street car. Upon arriving at the scene, Officer King arrested the trouble-maker from the streetcar. Shortly thereafter, as Patrolman King was calling for a wagon, the suspect pulled a revolver and shot him in the back. He was apprehended and identified by several witnesses. Patrolman King was assigned to Precinct 3.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-4F4FC9ED
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.
Patrolman King served with the Chicago Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman King.

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

Agency

Location Chicago, IL
Platform Identity cpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 25, 1920
Age 43
Badge Number 417
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun; Revolver
Offender Arrested

Patrolman William R. King 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 IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Chicago Police Department, 396 of 571 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.4% of this agency's fallen.

Chicago Police Department
396
of 571 officers
69.4% Felonious
IL — Statewide
842
of 1,318 officers
63.9% 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. King'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. King Compares

Age at End of Watch
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Arrested

When Felonious Deaths Occur

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

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. King was killed by handgun; revolver.

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