Depute Sheriff William Coleman, Rest in Peace

(From the Archives)

Deputy Coleman, we thank you for your courage, dedication, and service to our community.

Our hearts go out to the family, co-workers, and friends of Deputy Coleman, who gave his life in the service of our community. He was tragically shot and killed in the early hours of Sunday morning, January 8, while responding to a burglary call in Anthem. Coleman is survived by his wife, Beth and four children, his father, as well as extended family. He would have turned 51 next week.

As reported yesterday at azcentral.com, family members remember Coleman as “a devoted father and friend who loved fishing, hunting and working.” He was known as “a tough guy on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside.”

“Bill would always make you laugh and would always help anyone out. Bill has touched many lives; he will be missed but not forgotten," Beth Coleman said in a statement she issued yesterday. Coleman had completed 20 years of service. "Bill sacrificed everything to protect us and our community,” she said.

Beth thanked the community for their support. “The love… from the community is helping [the family] cope as they work through the many emotions of this senseless crime.”

How You Can Participate

The public visitation for Deputy William Coleman is Thursday, January 12, at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Central Avenue and Bethany Home Road from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be Friday, also at the Baptist Church.

You may donate to the Deputy William Coleman Memorial Fund at Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, account number: 6000123586.

This Thursday, January 12, from 2 to 10 p.m., Hands Across Anthem will hold a fundraiser at Wendy’s in Anthem, which will donate 20% of purchases made between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. to Hands Across America in honor of Deputy Coleman.

Hands Across Anthem will also hold a Community Walk to honor Deputy Coleman, forming a human chain by joining hands. Meet at the corner of Anthem Way and Gavilan Peak Sunday, January 22, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Signatures and condolences will be collected for a special album to be given to Deputy Coleman’s family. Donations and proceeds collected from t-shirt sales will also go to support Coleman’s family.

Leave a reflection on the Officer Down Memorial Page.

(Read JJ Hensley’s full article on the family’s remembrances.)