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
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 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

Type State Police
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

Trooper First Class William P. Mills Jr. 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 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 51.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

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
1
of 97,772 officers
0% 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
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How William P. Mills Jr. Compares

Age at Death
32
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

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
1,516
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. William P. Mills Jr. was killed by rifle.

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

Incident Location