William C. Carroll
Agency patch
Detective

William C. Carroll

Accident Veteran
End of Watch May 7, 1923
Age 28
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 45 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Detective William Carroll was accidentally shot and killed by his partner while the two officers chased a suspected burglar behind 1366 Belt Avenue. The officers were in plainclothes driving on Minerva Street when they spotted the man and pulled up next to him. The man gave his name and then fled, with both officers in pursuit. As the suspect came around a corner Detective Carroll's partner fired two shots. The second shot struck Detective Carroll as he rounded the corner behind the suspect. Detective Carroll was a WWI veteran of the 138th Infantry. He had been with the agency for three years and was survived by his parents. He had been promoted to the rank of detective only 15 minutes prior to being killed.

Survivors

He had been with the agency for three years and was survived by his parents.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-3F8F373E
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Detective Carroll gave the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Location St. Louis, MO
Platform Identity stlopd.saintlouis.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 7, 1923
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William C. Carroll served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Detective William C. Carroll is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 56 of 176 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.8% of this agency's fallen.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
56
of 176 officers
31.8% Accident
MO — Statewide
237
of 813 officers
29.2% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William C. Carroll'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 C. Carroll Compares

Age at End of Watch
28
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William C. Carroll is highlighted in May.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location