Roll of Honor
Incident
City Marshal W.G. Averett was shot and killed over a property line dispute.
At approximately 10:30 am, Marshal Averett was overseeing several men performing street maintenance. At the request of the town council, Marshal Averett was instructed to install fence posts along an alley. A resident who was unhappy with the installation of the fence approached the marshal and shot him with a double barrel shotgun. He was killed instantly.
The suspect was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.
Marshal Averett was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Marshal Averett was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-52FF9C2D- 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
130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Averett served with the Waverly Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Waverly community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
City Marshal W. G. Averett 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 TN, 498 of 769 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Waverly Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. G. Averett's cause is highlighted.
How W. G. Averett Compares
Offender Outcome
Convicted of manslaughter; sentenced to
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. W. G. Averett is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. W. G. Averett was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Waverly Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
