Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

Billy Paul Speed

Austin Police Department — Austin, TX

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch August 1, 1966

Age 23

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 1 mo

Badge 37

The Vigil Panel 101 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 27

Incident

Police Officer Billy Speed was shot and killed by a sniper on the clock tower at the University of Texas. He was eating lunch in a nearby cafe when he heard the rifle fire. When he went to investigate he was shot by the sniper. The sniper killed a total of 14 people and injured 31 others before several officers and civilians made it to the top of the tower and fatally shot him. Officer Speed was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Austin Police Department for 13 months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-29863858
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Billy. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Billy is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Speed gave the Austin Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Austin Police Department

Type Other

Location Austin, TX

Platform Identity apd.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 1, 1966

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 1 mo

Age 23

Badge Number 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Military Service

Billy Paul Speed served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Billy Paul Speed is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,460 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Austin Police Department, 12 of 28 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Austin Police Department

of 28 officers

42.9% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,460

of 2,421 officers

60.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious