Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Bill Davis was struck and killed by a vehicle while working a crash scene on I-29 at the Sioux Falls River Bridge.
He was placing the driver of one of the vehicles under arrest for refusing to sign a citation when another driver lost control of her vehicle on the icy road. The vehicle slid into the back of Deputy Davis' patrol car and then struck him as he was searching the suspect. Deputy Davis was thrown approximately 30 feet away and killed almost instantly.
Deputy Davis was a United States Army and Navy Vietnam War veteran and had served in law enforcement for 21 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his mother and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SD-6C62658D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw. One record, 2 gates. William is one person.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Davis gave the Moody County Sheriff's Office 21 years.
Thank you for your service to the Flandreau community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
William Paul Davis served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Deputy Sheriff William Paul Davis is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In SD, 19 of 62 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.6% of this state's fallen. That is 30.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Moody County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Paul Davis's cause is highlighted.
How William Paul Davis Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Paul Davis is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Military Service
William Paul Davis served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit William Paul Davis’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Moody County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
