Sumter Police Department, South Carolina
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 21, 1908
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 20, 1908
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Never apprehended
Police Officer William Clyde was shot and killed in the area of Bradford Springs, South Carolina, while attempting to arrest a fugitive who had escaped from a chain gang two months earlier.
He had obtained information that the subject was at a home in the area and went to that location along with a constable to locate him. As they searched the house Officer Clyde found the man hiding under a bed and called out to him to surrender.
The man opened fire with a shotgun, striking Officer Clyde in the abdomen. The constable pulled Officer Clyde to safety and then went to alert a doctor. Officer Clyde died from his wound two hours later.
The subject who shot him fled the scene and it is unknown if he was ever captured. A female occupant of the house was charged with being an accomplice before the fact.
Police Officer Clyde was survived by his wife and young child. He was predeceased by a 2-year-old daughter.