Charles Douglas Heinrich

El Paso Police Department — El Paso, TX

Veteran → Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch August 29, 1985

Age 37

Tour of Duty 13 yrs

The Vigil Panel 130 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 33

Incident

Detective Chuck Heinrich succumbed to a gunshot wound received two years earlier after he and his partner stopped to talk to a man outside the Shamrock Hotel at 6101 Dyer Street. The partner had recognized the man as a person he had arrested before on weapons charges. As they exited their patrol car, the man started to walk away. When they started to walk towards him, he turned and fired a .22 caliber handgun at them, striking Detective Heinrich in the head. He was transported to a local hospital, where he remained in a coma until his death. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison. Detective Heinrich was a United States Navy Vietnam veteran who had served with the El Paso Police Department for 13 years and had just been named Detective of the Year.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and six-year-old son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-C0B7F9A4
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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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.
Detective Heinrich gave the El Paso Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the El Paso 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 El Paso Police Department

Type Other

Location El Paso, El Paso County, TX

Platform Identity eppd.elpaso.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 29, 1985

Tour of Duty 13 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Charles Douglas Heinrich served in the U.S. Navy (1966â1969) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Detective Charles Douglas Heinrich 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 El Paso Police Department, 23 of 34 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 67.6% of this agency's fallen.

El Paso Police Department

of 34 officers

67.6% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,460

of 2,421 officers

60.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious