Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief David Williams was kidnapped and left to die in a field. He had spotted a man with a painted face who was acting suspicious and picked him up. He radioed in that he had taken the suspect into custody and that he needed assistance. The man's intent was to kidnap one of the two Ryan officers and lock them in a car trunk so he could then rob the Ryan drug store. Chief Williams' car was driven into a creek, and his frozen body was found in a field approximately a quarter mile away the next day. Chief Williams' abductor was tried on first-degree murder charges, but the trial ended in a hung jury. He later plead no contest to a charge of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to five years. He served four years and one month and died in 1994. Chief Williams served with the Ryan Police Department for one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-2626A66E- 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
You barely got started.
Police Chief Williams gave the Ryan Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Ryan community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Chief Williams.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Chief David Coty Williams 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 OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 15 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Coty Williams's cause is highlighted.
How David Coty Williams Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 5 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. David Coty Williams is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. David Coty Williams was killed by not available.