Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff William Simmons was shot and killed while checking on a stolen vehicle at the intersection of Old Illinois 36/54 and Farmington Road. While was on the scene the subject who stole the vehicle drove up in a tow truck. The man then approached Deputy Simmons and fatally shot him while he was still seated in his patrol car. The subject was not charged with Deputy Simmons' murder until 1992. The man had been a suspect since the murder, but because of a lack of evidence he was never charged. He had been convicted of another crime in Arkansas and confessed to murdering Deputy Simmons in 1992. He made the confession in order to be transferred to an Illinois prison because he did not like the Arkansas prison system. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Deputy Simmons' murder. Deputy Simmons' killer was paroled in May 2012 but was arrested in Missouri in January 2013 after stealing an ATM. Deputy Simmons had served with the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office for nearly two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-E073026C- 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
You barely got started.
Deputy Sheriff Simmons gave the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Simmons.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff William D. Simmons 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 Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William D. Simmons's cause is highlighted.
How William D. Simmons Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 40 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William D. Simmons is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William D. Simmons was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Sangamon County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
