Incident
Officer McCray was shot and killed when he and several other officers went to a home to investigate a shooting. Officer McCray was shot in the neck as the officers forced the door open to go inside. The suspect who barricaded himself in the house shot and wounded four officers before other officers shot and killed him.
Officer McCray had been with the agency for 26 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-88A7FC49- 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
26 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer McCray gave the Danville Police Department 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Danville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer McCray.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer William H. McCray 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 VA, 395 of 654 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Danville Police Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William H. McCray's cause is highlighted.
How William H. McCray Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William H. McCray is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William H. McCray was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Danville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.


