Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas
End of Watch: Thursday, December 31, 1885
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: December 30, 1885
Weapon Used: Blunt object
Suspect Info: Convicted of murder
Officer William Copeland was killed after being assaulted by a jail trusty who was on work release.
Officer Copeland was in uniform walking to work at 1900 hours when he spotted the trusty standing on the corner. With the knowledge that trusties had to be back to the jail by 6:00 pm, he began to question the man.
The suspect had a special permit to be out until 10:00 pm, however, and during the questioning the man hit Officer Copeland in the head with a blunt object and fled the scene. Officer Copeland was found about two hours later and taken to a local drug store where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight.
The suspect was apprehended and convicted of Officer Copeland's murder.
Officer Copeland was survived by his wife and three children. He was a Civil War Veteran who served as a private with the 20th Ohio Infantry, Company C.