William Madison Goff, a 35-year-old white male, served as a Deputy Sheriff with the Hempstead County Sheriff's Office for two years and had previously been with the Hope Police Department for several years. His life was cut short on Friday, November 5, 1926, during what should have been a routine law enforcement operation. On that day, Deputy Goff, along with a city marshal, conducted a raid on a service station in Hope, Arkansas, based on information that large quantities of illegal liquor
were being stored there.
Upon their arrival, the officers seized the owner of the service station and took him into a room to be searched. In a sudden turn of events, the owner pulled out a handgun and began firing at the officers. A chaotic shootout ensued, with approximately a dozen shots exchanged between the suspect and the lawmen. In the hail of gunfire, Deputy Sheriff Goff was fatally wounded, struck by a bullet just below his right eye.
The suspect in the shooting was also seriously wounded, having been shot four times during the exchange. He was subsequently taken into custody. Following the investigation into the deadly encounter, the owner of the service station was convicted of manslaughter for the killing of Deputy Sheriff William Madison Goff. For his crime, he was sentenced to serve five years in prison. Deputy Goff was survived by his wife and their four-year-old son.
