Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Rivers was shot and killed as he and his partner were involved in a foot pursuit of a burglary suspect. Another officer was interviewing the two suspects in front of a local store when one of the men ran. Officer Rivers and his partner responded to the officer's call for assistance. Officer Rivers' partner, who had tripped during the pursuit, heard two gun shots coming from across the parking lot. He and the original officer found Officer Rivers suffering from two shots to this head, one to his arm, and one to his leg. The suspect, 21, was apprehended. Two months later he and another inmate escaped from Jefferson Davis Mental Hospital in Houston. He was recaptured, convicted of capital murder, escape, and sentenced to life on March 26, 1981. He was denied parole on August 20, 2018. His next parole hearing is in July of 2023. Officer Rivers had served with the agency for only 1 year and had previously served with the Houston Police Department for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his expectant wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-FFAC50A0- 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.
Police Officer Rivers gave the Hedwig Village Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Rivers.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Michael Wayne Rivers 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. Michael Wayne Rivers's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Wayne Rivers Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Wayne Rivers is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Michael Wayne Rivers was killed by gun; unknown type.