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Special Agent

William Allen Adkins

Missouri Pacific Railroad Police Department — St. Louis, MI

Felonious

End of Watch September 30, 1919

Age 36

The Vigil Panel 38 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 6

Incident

Location: Arkansas Weapon: Rifle Offender: 22 charged with murder

Special Agent W.D. Adkins was shot and killed from ambush in the area of Hoop Spur, Phillips County, Arkansas.

Agent Adkins was accompanying a Phillips County sheriff's deputy and a jail trusty to arrest several members of a family who had been involved in a disturbance. During the drive their vehicle suffered a punctured tire and they pulled over in front of the Hoop Spur Church.

Unbeknownst to the officers, black sharecroppers were in the church holding a planning a meeting in an effort to obtain higher payments from white plantation owners in the area. The meeting organizers had placed armed guards around the church to prevent opponents from entering. Believing Agent Adkins and the deputy were there to disrupt the meeting, the men opened fire on them without warning. Agent Adkins was killed and the deputy was wounded.

The events resulted in a large race war in Phillips County over the following weeks in which multiple black and white citizens were killed. Twenty-two people were eventually charged with murder.

Special Agent Adkins was survived by his wife and two children.

Survivors

Special Agent Adkins was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-DED8C334
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.
Special Agent Adkins served with the Missouri Pacific Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Adkins.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Missouri Pacific Railroad Police Department

Location St. Louis, MI

Platform Identity mprpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 30, 1919

Age 36

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Rifle

Offender 22 charged with murder

Special Agent William Allen Adkins 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 MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Missouri Pacific Railroad Police Department, 7 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Missouri Pacific Railroad Police Department

of 7 officers

100% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious