Norman E. Spruiel

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI

Felonious

End of Watch October 3, 1993

Age 43

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

The Vigil Panel 139 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 249

Incident

Officer Norman Spruiel succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained three weeks earlier while working an undercover murder case. He was conducting surveillance with his partner while attempting to locate two suspects who murdered and then mutilated two young men. As the officers were finishing up their surveillance for the night they drove a few blocks away to compare notes at Prairie Street south of Lyndon in a dead end. Officer Spruiel was standing outside his unmarked patrol car when he was shot twice in the back by a man unrelated to the murder investigation. The subject claimed he did not know the two were police officers and thought they were preparing to rob his brother's body shop. The suspect was convicted of Officer Spruiel's murder and sentenced to 85 years in prison. Officer Spruiel had served with the Detroit Police Department for 15 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MI-7BA1274E
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Spruiel gave the Detroit Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Spruiel.

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

Agency

Department Detroit Police Department

Location Detroit, MI

Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 3, 1993

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Age 43

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Offender Sentenced to 85 years

Police Officer Norman E. Spruiel is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Detroit Police Department, 177 of 250 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.8% of this agency's fallen.

Detroit Police Department

177

of 250 officers

70.8% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious