Rowan County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina
End of Watch: Thursday, July 16, 1931
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 16, 1931
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 15 to 20 years
Sheriff William McKenzie was shot and killed after receiving reports from a woman that her husband was going to shoot up the town. When Sheriff McKenzie arrived at the residence the man opened fire with a shotgun, striking him at point-blank range.
The suspect had recently been released from a mental hospital where he was being treated for shell shock and other effects of wounds he suffered in World War I. He was recommitted but declared sane five years later. On May 7, 1936, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison.
Sheriff McKenzie was survived by his wife and four children and is buried at Chesnut Hill Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina.