Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Paul Mickel was shot and killed with his own service revolver by a suspect who had refused to pay for his meal at a restaurant at 12118 Fort Street in Southgate.
The manager of the restaurant knew that Deputy Mickel was a deputy and asked him to intervene when the man began to argue with him. As Deputy Mickel waited for backup officers to arrive, the suspect began to struggle with him. As they struggled, another man got involved, grabbed Deputy Mickel's service weapon, shot and killed him, and then shot and killed a woman, 37, as she was entering the restaurant.
The suspect, 27, who shot Deputy Mickel, and the woman were sentenced to life in prison. As of October 17, 2022, the killer was still in prison, where he will stay until his death. The other man, 25, was convicted of manslaughter and served 10 years in prison.
Deputy Mickel was single and had served with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for eight months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-C5CEFE70- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Mickel served with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Mickel.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Paul Lee Mickel 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 MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Wayne County Sheriff's Dept., 7 of 14 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Paul Lee Mickel's cause is highlighted.
How Paul Lee Mickel Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Paul Lee Mickel is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Paul Lee Mickel was killed by officer's handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
13 officers from Wayne County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
