Patrolman William Ronald Toney
Survivors
His wife and two daughters ages 18 months and 4 years
Incident
Patrolman Toney was shot and killed during a foot pursuit of a car theft suspect.
Another officer had spotted a suspicious van and attempted to stop it. The driver of the van fled with the officer in pursuit. Patrolman Toney joined the pursuit and chased the van until it crashed in a residential neighborhood. The driver of the vehicle fled on foot with Patrolman Toney in pursuit.
During the foot chase the suspect turned and fired several shots, one of which struck Patrolman Toney in the throat above his vest. He was able to return fire once but did not hit the suspect.
Patrolman Toney was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The suspect was arrested in a nearby house several hours later after a search involving over 100 officers from several agencies. He was charged with murder, car theft, resisting law enforcement, and several other charges. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002; he was executed on May 20, 2025.
Agency
Gallery
Tributes
There is 1 tribute for Patrolman William Ronald Toney.
This man’s life has mattered to me since September 30, 2000, the day that I arrived in Indianapolis, IN to attend a conference on Humanistic Psychology.
For as long as Earth or Bleupsychia exist, this man’s shortened life and cruel death will never be forgotten or forgiven until Everyman realizes that we alone are responsible for our life and our death with the exception of those killed in the line of duty guaranteeing the liberty of every child born in our country allowing us to grow up to achieve the highest levels of self-esteem; independence and freedom. And if we are allowed to live long enough, then each and every USA Citizen may experience self-actualization as a Human Being and as an individual.
May we all Rest In Peace one day understanding Professor Abraham Harold Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs.