Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff William Propst was shot and killed while he and two Kannapolis patrolmen attempted to arrest a man who had shot and wounded the police chief earlier in the evening.
The earlier shooting had occurred when the police chief observed the suspect enter a saloon with another man and draw his gun. The suspect shot the chief in the arm and hip when he went inside to arrest him.
Deputy Propst and the two patrolmen located the suspect in West Kannapolis and attempted to arrest him. The man opened fire on the officers, striking all three men. Deputy Propst was fatally wounded in the exchange.
The suspect was eventually apprehended. He was convicted of murdering Deputy Propst but sentenced to only three years of hard labor in the state penitentiary.
Deputy Propst had served with the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office for 25 years and was retiring on December 4, 1922.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, four children, one sister, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-9C89438C- 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
25 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Propst gave the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Concord community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Propst.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff William Francis Propst 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Francis Propst's cause is highlighted.
How William Francis Propst Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 3 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Francis Propst is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Francis Propst was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
