Ken Norris Meister
Agency patch
Chief Deputy Sheriff

Ken Norris Meister

Zavala County Sheriff's Office — Crystal City, TX
Felonious
End of Watch April 20, 1991
Age 45
Badge 790
The Vigil Panel 137 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief Deputy Sheriff Ken Meister was shot and killed during a drug sting operation. He and another deputy were ambushed by three suspects at the scene in Lytle, Texas. Chief Deputy Meister was shot twice by one of the suspects with a .22 caliber rifle. The other deputy was able to return fire, killing two of the men. The third man was taken into custody after trying to flee the area and charged with capital murder.

Survivors

Chief Deputy Meister was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-65940362
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Meister served with the Zavala County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Crystal City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Deputy Sheriff Meister.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Crystal City, Zavala County, TX
Platform Identity zcso.zavala.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 20, 1991
Age 45
Badge Number 790
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle

Chief Deputy Sheriff Ken Norris Meister 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 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 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%.

Zavala County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ken Norris Meister's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Ken Norris Meister Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ken Norris Meister is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Ken Norris Meister was killed by rifle.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Zavala County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.