Wilmer M. "Tex" Richards

Atlanta Police Department — Atlanta, GA

Felonious

End of Watch December 2, 1952

Age 60

Tour of Duty 25 yrs

The Vigil Panel 88 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 87

Incident

Officer Tex Richards was shot and killed while assisting fellow officers with a man who had barricaded himself in his home at the intersection of North Avenue and Williams Street near the Georgia Tech campus. Officers had gone to the suspect's home to investigate a hit-and-run accident after a motorist complained that he backed into his car and left the scene. The suspect met them at his front door with a shotgun and refused to come out. At 3:00 p.m., when the officers attempted to dislodge him with teargas, he opened fire, killing Officer Richards and wounding three other officers. The officers returned fire and killed the man. Officer Richards had served with the Atlanta Police Department for 25 years and would have retired in two months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, two brothers, a sister, and five grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-GA-DB8EAFCC
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

25 years. You could have gone home.
Officer Richards gave the Atlanta Police Department 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Atlanta community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Richards.

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

Agency

Department Atlanta Police Department

Location Atlanta, GA

Platform Identity apd.fulton.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 2, 1952

Tour of Duty 25 yrs

Age 60

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Shotgun

Offender Shot and killed

Officer Wilmer M. "Tex" Richards 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 GA, 548 of 903 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Atlanta Police Department, 58 of 88 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.9% of this agency's fallen.

Atlanta Police Department

of 88 officers

65.9% Felonious

GA — Statewide

548

of 903 officers

60.7% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious