Roll of Honor
William Dean Greene, Sr.
Incident
Chief William Greene was shot and killed while pursuing a vehicle occupied by two men and two women at 0130 hours. Unbeknownst to Chief Greene the four had broken into a summer cottage in Blowing Rock. Before backup units arrived the suspects stopped the car and one of the male suspects opened fire on Chief Greene, striking him in the arm and back with a 410 gauge shotgun. Then both men stabbed him twice before fleeing. Chief Greene was able to make it back to his patrol car and radio in a description of the suspects, who were later arrested and charged with murder. The suspect who shot Chief Greene was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on March 1, 1963. He died in prison on December 29, 1992. The other male suspect was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 30 years. He was paroled on September 3, 1975. The two women pled guilty to manslaughter. Chief Greene had served with the agency for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-B2684A6C- 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.
Chief of Police Greene gave the Blowing Rock Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Blowing Rock community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Greene.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police William Dean Greene, Sr. 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 Blowing Rock Police Department, 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 Dean Greene, Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How William Dean Greene, Sr. Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Dean Greene, Sr. is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Dean Greene, Sr. was killed by shotgun; 410 gauge.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Blowing Rock Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
