Norman E. Spruiel
Agency patch
Police Officer

Norman E. Spruiel

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI
Felonious
End of Watch October 3, 1993
Age 43
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Norman Spruiel succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained three weeks earlier while working an undercover murder case. He was conducting surveillance with his partner while attempting to locate two suspects who murdered and then mutilated two young men. As the officers were finishing up their surveillance for the night they drove a few blocks away to compare notes at Prairie Street south of Lyndon in a dead end. Officer Spruiel was standing outside his unmarked patrol car when he was shot twice in the back by a man unrelated to the murder investigation. The subject claimed he did not know the two were police officers and thought they were preparing to rob his brother's body shop. The suspect was convicted of Officer Spruiel's murder and sentenced to 85 years in prison. Officer Spruiel had served with the Detroit Police Department for 15 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Spruiel gave the Detroit Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Spruiel.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Detroit, Wayne County, MI
Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 3, 1993
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Age 43
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Norman is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1993, 101 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 51st heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Norman was 43. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Norman had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

October holds 7.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was rifle, in 5.9% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Detroit Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Norman among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Norman E. Spruiel

Detroit Police Department · End of Watch October 3, 1993

Where the Name Is Cut

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