Norman Lee Miller
Agency patch
Chief of Police

Norman Lee Miller

Hearne Police Department — Hearne, TX
Felonious
End of Watch October 6, 1949
Age 38
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 2 mo
The Vigil Panel 85 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief of Police N.L. Miller went to the scene of a disturbance at a residence in Hearne, Texas.

The details of the call were that a woman had gone "berserk." He and his partner got out of the car and were waiting on the owner of the house and talking to a 1 ½ year old child on the porch when a shotgun blast came out of the front window. He was hit by only one pellet in the shoulder, but it severed an artery. The mother of the child Chief Miller was speaking to fired the shotgun at him.

Chief Miller was raised in Easterly, Texas, served in WWII, ran close races for sheriff twice, and only served as Hearne chief for 14 months. He was buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery in Franklin, Robertson County.

His killer was a 21-year-old woman who had recently been discharged from a state hospital in Abilene, Texas. She surrendered that day and confessed to the shooting. She was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison. She was released on August 1, 1968.

The details of the call were that a woman had gone "berserk." He and his partner got out of the car and were waiting on the owner of the house and talking to a 1 ½ year old child on the porch when a shotgun blast came out of the front window. He was hit by only one pellet in the shoulder, but it severed an artery. The mother of the child Chief Miller was speaking to fired the shotgun at him.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-02D35D1E
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

You barely got started.
Chief of Police Miller gave the Hearne Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Hearne community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Miller.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Hearne, Robertson County, TX
Platform Identity hpd.robertson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 6, 1949
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 2 mo
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Shotgun

Chief of Police Norman Lee Miller 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%.

Hearne Police Department
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. Norman Lee Miller's cause is highlighted.

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

How Norman Lee Miller Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1.2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Norman Lee Miller is highlighted in Oct.

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. Norman Lee Miller was killed by shotgun.

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 Hearne Police Department are honored on badge.nw.