Roll of Honor
Incident
Master Trooper William Starling was killed in a single-car crash on rural road 1717 in Wilkes County.
It is speculated that Trooper Starling was initiating a traffic stop because his vehicle, a 1997 Crown Victoria, had its wigwag lights activated. Trooper Starling lost control of the vehicle upon entering a sharp left turn, at which point it overturned and ran down a 10-foot embankment.
In 2005 a bridge on US 421 in Wilkesboro was named in his honor.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-E7FF1F3F- 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.
Trooper Starling gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Starling.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper William Joseph Starling 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 NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen.
At North Carolina Highway Patrol, 41 of 69 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 59.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Joseph Starling's cause is highlighted.
How William Joseph Starling Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Joseph Starling is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from North Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
