Manuel Gonzalez
Agency patch
Constable

Manuel Gonzalez

Felonious
End of Watch January 20, 1977
Age 43
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
The Vigil Panel 118 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable Gonzalez was shot and killed while off duty by a man who held a grudge against him. Constable Gonzalez had stopped by a pool hall he owned and, as he was playing pool, was shot in the head by the suspect. The suspect was sentenced to 20 years but released after serving only 13 years. Shortly after being released he was stopped for a traffic violation by a state trooper and shot and killed when he began to struggle with the trooper. Constable Gonzalez had previously served with the Zapata County Sheriff's Department for 10 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and family.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-9AB83B77
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.
Constable Gonzalez gave the Zapata County Constable's Office 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Zapata community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Gonzalez.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Zapata, TX
Platform Identity zccop1co.zapata.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 20, 1977
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 43
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Constable Manuel Gonzalez 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%.

Zapata County Constable's Office - Precinct 1
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. Manuel Gonzalez's cause is highlighted.

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

How Manuel Gonzalez Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
10
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Manuel Gonzalez is highlighted in Jan.

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. Manuel Gonzalez was killed by handgun.

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 Zapata County Constable's Office - Precinct 1 are honored on badge.nw.