William Clinton Harless
Agency patch
Constable

William Clinton Harless

Felonious
End of Watch April 15, 1915
Age 25
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 29 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable W. Clint Harless succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day while attempting to serve a burglary arrest warrant on the outskirts of Spring near Spring Creek.

The suspect fired a Winchester Rifle through the front window of the house, striking Constable Harless in the neck.

The suspect was arrested, convicted of murder, and hanged on February 1st, 1916.

Deputy Harless had served with the Harris County Precinct 7 Constable's Office for two years and held a dual role as a deputy sheriff for the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents, three brothers, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-32EE497C
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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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Constable Harless gave the Harris County Constable's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Harless.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Houston, TX
Platform Identity hccop7co.harris.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 15, 1915
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 25
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Constable William Clinton Harless is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,460 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Harris County Constable's Office - Precinct 7, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Harris County Constable's Office - Precinct 7
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,460
of 2,421 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Clinton Harless's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How William Clinton Harless Compares

Age at Death
25
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Clinton Harless is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Harris County Constable's Office - Precinct 7 are honored on badge.nw.