Funeral for fallen HPD officer to be held Monday

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Family, friends and colleagues of a fallen Houston police officer who served the city for three decades will gather Monday to say a final goodbye.

Funeral services for senior officer William “Bill” Jeffrey, 54, are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at Grace Church in southeast Houston.

Jeffrey was shot to death while executing a warrant in northeast Harris County on Sept. 20. Sgt. Michael Vance was also shot during the incident and continues to recover from his injuries.

Houston police will escort Jeffrey’s body from the Klein Funeral Home in Tomball on Monday morning to Grace Church at 14505 Gulf Freeway.

The service will be open to the public, but seating will be limited due to COVID-19 protocols. Colleagues, family members and friends of Jeffrey will be seated inside the church first.

HPD officials will render full police honors outside of the church following the service.
Traffic along several major thoroughfares throughout the city will be impacted Monday as the procession moves from Tomball to southeast Houston and during the procession’s return to the Tomball area after the service.

Jeffrey joined the Houston Police Department in December 1990. He was assigned to the department’s Major Offenders Division, which is a unit that routinely deals with dangerous criminals, including accused murderers.

The death of Jeffrey marks HPD’s fifth on-duty death within the last 16 months. He also marks the 120th HPD officer who died in the line of the duty since 1860.