William P. Mills, Jr.
Agency patch
Trooper First Class

William P. Mills, Jr.

Maryland State Police — Pikesville, MD
Felonious
End of Watch June 8, 1979
Age 32
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
The Vigil Panel 121 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper William Mills was shot and killed while investigating a complaint involving two neighbors in Brookview, Maryland. While on the scene he was shot in the chest with a .38 caliber handgun and knocked down. As he attempted to draw his weapon he was shot in the chest with a high powered rifle. The man who shot him also shot and killed the neighbor he had been arguing with. On November 6th, 1979, the 68-year-old subject was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a mental institution. Trooper Mills had served with the Maryland State Police for almost nine years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MD-A891E4FB
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.
Trooper First Class Mills gave the Maryland State Police 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Maryland. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper First Class Mills.

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

Agency

Location Pikesville, MD
Platform Identity msp.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 8, 1979
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 32
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle
Offender Not guilty by reason of insanity

Trooper First Class William P. Mills, Jr. 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 MD, 195 of 377 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.5 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Maryland State Police, 14 of 42 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Maryland State Police
14
of 42 officers
33.3% Felonious
MD — Statewide
195
of 377 officers
51.7% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William P. Mills, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How William P. Mills, Jr. Compares

Age at End of Watch
32
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Not guilty by reason of insanity

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William P. Mills, Jr. is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William P. Mills, Jr. was killed by rifle.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location