William Franklin Mines

Fredericksburg Police Department — Fredericksburg, VA

Felonious

End of Watch May 5, 1964

Age 27

The Vigil Panel 99 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Officer William Mines and Sergeant Roy Wright were shot and killed after stopping a suspicious man behind a shopping center in the 1200 block of Route 1 at about 4:00 am. The officers called the man over to their patrol car. Unbeknownst to the officers the man had murdered a gas station attendant in New Jersey earlier in the morning. As the man talked to the officers, who were still seated in their patrol car, the he produced a handgun and opened fire, killing Officer Mines instantly. Sergeant Wright, who was wounded, exited the vehicle and was then shot execution style by the subject. The subject then stole both officers' service revolvers and handcuffs before fleeing. The officers were not found for several hours as they had not called in the stop. As the suspect fled he nearly struck a delivery man who wrote down the license plate in order to report him as a reckless driver. During the investigation the plate was traced to the suspect. Three days later he was apprehended in Wayne, Michigan, after he crashed the car he was driving into another car during a police chase. The driver of the other car, a 21-year-old man who was to be married the next day, was killed. The suspect was returned to Virginia, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison. He died of liver cancer while still in prison on February 17, 2004, several days after an appeal for clemency was denied by the governor.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-VA-D7AC4065
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.
Officer Mines served with the Fredericksburg Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Fredericksburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Mines.

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

Agency

Department Fredericksburg Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Fredericksburg, VA

Platform Identity fpd.fredericksburg.va.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 5, 1964

Age 27

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Officer William Franklin Mines 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 VA, 394 of 656 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.1% of this state's fallen. That is 60.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Fredericksburg Police Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Fredericksburg Police Department

of 5 officers

60% Felonious

VA — Statewide

394

of 656 officers

60.1% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious