Rodney Scott Morgan
Agency patch
Detective

Rodney Scott Morgan

Accident
End of Watch February 26, 1974
Age 27
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 113 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Detective Scotty Morgan was shot and killed by a Houston police officer after being mistaken for an armed suspect. Detective Morgan and his partner were working an undercover operation and had gone into a bar at 4356 Telephone Road. Detective Morgan went to the bathroom and, after several minutes, did not return. When Detective Morgan's partner went into the bathroom to check on Detective Morgan, he found two members of the Banditos motorcycle gang assaulting him with a knife and were in the process of cutting his throat. Detective Morgan's partner fired a shot in the air and then held the two suspects at gunpoint. Although injured, Detective Morgan was able to assist his partner in detaining the two suspects. Patrons in the bar called the police and reported a shooting, not knowing that Detective Morgan was a law enforcement officer. A Houston police officer arrived at the scene and forced the bathroom door open while announcing "police." Detective Morgan turned and also identified himself, but the Houston officer, not hearing him, fired once and struck him in the chest. The two bikers were arrested and initially charged with attempted murder. One was found guilty of aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years. Detective Morgan had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for four years and had worked undercover for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his father and mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-E3EA8AA0
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.
Detective Morgan gave the Harris County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Morgan.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Houston, Harris County, TX
Platform Identity hcso.harris.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 26, 1974
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 27
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Detective Rodney Scott Morgan is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Harris County Sheriff's Office, 20 of 56 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.7% of this agency's fallen.

Harris County Sheriff's Office
20
of 56 officers
35.7% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rodney Scott Morgan's cause is highlighted.

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

How Rodney Scott Morgan Compares

Age at Death
27
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rodney Scott Morgan is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location