Randall Wade Vetter
Agency patch
Trooper

Randall Wade Vetter

Felonious
End of Watch August 7, 2000
Age 28
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 147 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper Vetter was shot and killed by a suspect he had stopped for not wearing his seatbelt. While writing the citation in his patrol cruiser, the suspect exited his car and shot Trooper Vetter several times. He died four days later from his injuries he received when one round entered his vest causing abdominal injuries. The suspect was arrested at the scene of the shooting by several other Texas DPS Officers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-CDCA1497
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.
Trooper Vetter gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Vetter.

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

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tdpsthp.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 7, 2000
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Trooper Randall Wade Vetter 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%.

At Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, 36 of 96 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol
36
of 96 officers
37.5% 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. Randall Wade Vetter's cause is highlighted.

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

How Randall Wade Vetter Compares

Age at Death
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Randall Wade Vetter is highlighted in Aug.

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.

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

Incident Location