Sergeant George Williams was shot and killed during a scuffle after stopping a vehicle for driving erratically.

On May 21, 1977, Sergeant Williams and another officer had just gotten off duty but were still in uniform. They observed a vehicle driving erratically then park behind a downtown building. The vehicle then drove away erratically and the officers attempted to stop the vehicle that ultimately struck a tree several blocks away. As Sergeant Williams attempted to extract the driver, Dennis Elms, from the vehicle, Officer Belcher came to Sergeant Williams' aid. During the ensuing struggle Sergeant Williams was struck by a bullet from Officer Belcher's revolver. Sergeant Williams died at Phelps County Hospital a short time later. The suspect was reportedly a resident at a halfway house in Springfield, Missouri where he was in custody for robbery and auto theft.

Sergeant Williams was a US Air Force veteran. He was survived by his wife. Interred: Pea Ridge Cemetery, Doolittle, Missouri.