South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina
End of Watch: Friday, June 8, 1979
Age: 30
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 7, 1979
Weapon Used: Handgun; .357 caliber
Suspect Info: Acquitted
Patrolman Willie Peeples succumbed to wounds he received when he was shot during a high-speed pursuit of a motorcyclist on I-95 near Walterboro.
Due to some problem with the motorcycle, the man was forced to stop at SC 61 and US 15. As Patrolman Peeples got out of his car, the suspect shot him three times and then ran into nearby woods. Officers, with the use of bloodhounds, apprehended the suspect a few hours later.
The 24-year-old suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He was granted a new trial after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled his first trial was mishandled. The suspect who claimed he shot Patrolman Peeples because he shot at him first was acquitted and released from prison on November 10, 1981.
On August 26, 1987, he beat a 16-year-old boy at his home in Walterboro, leaving him in critical condition. He then forced a woman into his car and drove away in a very intoxicated condition. Minutes later, he hit a car head-on occupied by three women, leaving one in critical condition. The 38-year-old woman died in a hospital a month later. The suspect was convicted of kidnapping, manslaughter, and deadly assault and sentenced to life without parole. In 2021 he was still in prison.
Patrolman Peeples had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for five years. He was survived by his wife, five daughters, his mother, two sisters, and three brothers.