Bill Davidson was a 43-year-old Texas Department of Public Safety highway patrolman who died after being shot on April 11, 1992, in Edna, Texas. A Vietnam War veteran, he had served with the DPS since 1973 and was approaching a stolen vehicle on U.S. Highway 59 when the occupant shot him in the neck with a 9 mm handgun. He was taken to a hospital in Victoria and died the following day.

A Houston man was arrested soon after the shooting and was found with the murder weapon; he later confessed. At trial the defendant said the rap music he was listening to compelled him to shoot. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. A portion of U.S. Highway 59 was later dedicated in Davidson’s honor and a DPS patrol vessel was named after him.

If anyone has memories of Davidson’s service in the area or information about the shooting that hasn’t been shared, please contribute.