Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police N.L. Miller went to the scene of a disturbance at a residence in Hearne, Texas.
The details of the call were that a woman had gone "berserk." He and his partner got out of the car and were waiting on the owner of the house and talking to a 1 ½ year old child on the porch when a shotgun blast came out of the front window. He was hit by only one pellet in the shoulder, but it severed an artery. The mother of the child Chief Miller was speaking to fired the shotgun at him.
Chief Miller was raised in Easterly, Texas, served in WWII, ran close races for sheriff twice, and only served as Hearne chief for 14 months. He was buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery in Franklin, Robertson County.
His killer was a 21-year-old woman who had recently been discharged from a state hospital in Abilene, Texas. She surrendered that day and confessed to the shooting. She was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison. She was released on August 1, 1968.
The details of the call were that a woman had gone "berserk." He and his partner got out of the car and were waiting on the owner of the house and talking to a 1 ½ year old child on the porch when a shotgun blast came out of the front window. He was hit by only one pellet in the shoulder, but it severed an artery. The mother of the child Chief Miller was speaking to fired the shotgun at him.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-TX-02D35D1E- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You barely got started.
Chief of Police Miller gave the Hearne Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Hearne community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Miller.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Norman Lee Miller 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Norman Lee Miller's cause is highlighted.
How Norman Lee Miller Compares
Offender Outcome
Released in 1968
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Norman Lee Miller is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Norman Lee Miller was killed by shotgun.