Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant William Harville and Sheriff John Payntor were shot and killed while trying to serve a murder warrant on two men. Sheriff Payntor summoned six men to assist him in making the arrest and proceeded about twelve miles from Stockton, on the Oceola Road, where they arrived at the house. When Sheriff Payntor and the men entered the house they found one of the men in bed. As they approached the man he fired a weapon at Sheriff Payntor, killing him instantly. He then fired at Lieutenant Harville, killing him. A third officer in the room fired at the man but the man was able to escape with others who had been hiding outside of the house.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-EFA42114- 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
161 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Lieutenant Harville served with the Cedar County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Stockton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant William L. Harville 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Cedar County Sheriff's Dept., 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William L. Harville's cause is highlighted.
How William L. Harville Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William L. Harville is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William L. Harville was killed by gun; unknown type.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Cedar County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
