Roll of Honor
Incident
Assistant Chief Bob Potter was shot and killed by three burglary suspects around 1:30 a.m.
Chief Potter observed three men inside the Waynes Hillcrest Restaurant. When he approached the building and broke the window, he fired two shots into the air and ordered the men to drop their guns. One suspect exited the rear of the cafe and snuck up behind Chief Potter and shot him.
All three suspects, 20, 28, and 31, were arrested. They had escaped from the Madison County, Indiana, Jail six days earlier. All three were convicted of murder and sentenced to life. Two died in prison, one on September 13, 1986, and the other on January 3, 1987.
Chief Potter was a United States Army WWII veteran. He had served with the Tulia Police Department for eight months and previously served with the Swisher County Sheriff's Office for four years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-DCAC61AA- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Assistant Chief Potter gave the Tulia Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tulia community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Robert Henry Potter served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Assistant Chief Robert Henry Potter 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. Robert Henry Potter's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Henry Potter Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life in prison
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Henry Potter is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert Henry Potter was killed by gun; unknown type.