Roll of Honor
Incident
Location: Kentucky Weapon: Edged weapon; Sword Offender: Apprehended
Officer Landers was stabbed to death in Lexington, Kentucky, while he and several city officers attempted to quell a disturbance on Main Street. A group of citizens had become angry over an upcoming election and were causing trouble in town.
As the officers tried to stop the disturbance Officer Landers was struck on the head by one of the men in the group with saber. He died several hours later.
Two men were arrested two days later and charged with Officer Landers' murder.
Officer Landers was survived by his wife and three children. He is buried in the lexington cemetery.
Survivors
Officer Landers was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-90E64413- 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
156 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Officer Landers served with the Kentucky Central Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Lexington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer William M. Landers 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 22.6 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. William M. Landers's cause is highlighted.
How William M. Landers Compares
Offender Outcome
Apprehended
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William M. Landers is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William M. Landers was killed by edged weapon; sword.