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Incident
Detective Scotty Morgan was shot and killed by a Houston police officer after being mistaken for an armed suspect. Detective Morgan and his partner were working an undercover operation and had gone into a bar at 4356 Telephone Road. Detective Morgan went to the bathroom and, after several minutes, did not return. When Detective Morgan's partner went into the bathroom to check on Detective Morgan, he found two members of the Banditos motorcycle gang assaulting him with a knife and were in the process of cutting his throat. Detective Morgan's partner fired a shot in the air and then held the two suspects at gunpoint. Although injured, Detective Morgan was able to assist his partner in detaining the two suspects. Patrons in the bar called the police and reported a shooting, not knowing that Detective Morgan was a law enforcement officer. A Houston police officer arrived at the scene and forced the bathroom door open while announcing "police." Detective Morgan turned and also identified himself, but the Houston officer, not hearing him, fired once and struck him in the chest. The two bikers were arrested and initially charged with attempted murder. One was found guilty of aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years. Detective Morgan had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for four years and had worked undercover for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his father and mother.
In Our Keeping
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Morgan gave the Harris County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Morgan.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Accident
Harris County Sheriff's Office has lost 56 officers; 20 of them lost to accidents.
Rodney is one of 657 officers lost to accidents in TX, 27.1% of the 2,422 remembered there.
Rodney is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.
Rodney is one of 10,100 officers lost to accidents worldwide, 29.6% of the 34,117 remembered here.
34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 1974, 1 officer at Harris County Sheriff's Office was lost to accidents, the 2nd heaviest of 19 years on record. The heaviest was 2024, with 2.
In 1974, 11 officers in TX were lost to accidents, the 5th heaviest of 136 years on record. The heaviest was 1994, with 14.
In 1974, 98 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 9th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.
In 1974, 106 officers worldwide were lost to accidents, the 13th heaviest of 200 years on record. The heaviest was 1930, with 131.
Who
Rodney was 27. Of the 20 lost to accidents at Harris County Sheriff's Office whose age is recorded, half were between 28.8 and 50.3; the middle age was 40. Rodney had served 4 years; the middle length of service was 9 years.
Rodney was 27. Of the 626 lost to accidents in TX whose age is recorded, half were between 28 and 46; the middle age was 36. Rodney had served 4 years; the middle length of service was 5 years.
Rodney was 27. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Rodney had served 4 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Rodney was 27. Of the 9,451 lost to accidents worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 45; the middle age was 36. Rodney had served 4 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
February holds 20% of these deaths at Harris County Sheriff's Office, more than any other month. Tuesdays: 15%.
February holds 6.1% of these deaths in TX; December holds the most, 11.7%. Tuesdays: 13.5%.
February holds 7.2% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Tuesdays: 14.1%.
February holds 7.2% of these deaths worldwide; August holds the most, 9.3%. Tuesdays: 14%.
How
Accident deaths account for 35.7% of all 56 deaths at Harris County Sheriff's Office, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 27.1% of all 2,422 deaths in TX, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 29.6% of all 34,117 deaths worldwide, the 2nd most common cause.
His people
Harris County Sheriff's Office has 56 officers remembered here, Rodney among them.
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Carl Frederick Reinhold Court Nov 30, 1895
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Arthur Taylor May 24, 1914
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William C. Williams, Jr.
Apr 16, 1930
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Joe Trapolino
May 23, 1936
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Theron Eldridge Shofner
Jul 14, 1948
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Leo Busby Sep 10, 1953
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Donald E. Knowlton
Aug 22, 1960
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Walter Howard Harvey Nov 5, 1962
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Fred B. Peebles
Sep 23, 1965
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Edd Williams
Jan 12, 1974
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Rodney Scott Morgan
Feb 26, 1974
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Jimmie Howard McKay, Sr.
Mar 22, 1974
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James Alex Wier
Aug 18, 1978
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Joe Mason Westbrook
Jul 1, 1979
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Albert Ochoa Garza
Jul 30, 1979
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Royce Melvin Anderson
Oct 26, 1981
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Reginald Floyd Norwood
Sep 3, 1985
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Jess Willard Rozell, Jr.
Sep 19, 1985
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Haskell Junior McCoy
Feb 2, 1987
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Clark Harold Henry
Jul 25, 1988
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Richard Maurice Blackwell
Sep 6, 1989
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Jeffery Scott Sanford
Sep 14, 1991
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Ricky A. Yates
Jan 25, 1994
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Harvey Mitchell Davis
May 21, 1996
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Douglas John Noll
Jul 22, 1996
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Randolph Michael Eng
Dec 21, 1996
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Keith Alan Fricke
Jun 4, 1997
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Rebecca Ann Shaw
Feb 13, 1998
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Oscar Clarence Hill, IV
Jul 22, 2000
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John Charles Risley
Oct 23, 2000
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Barrett Travis Hill
Dec 4, 2000
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Joseph Norman Dennis
May 22, 2001
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Shane Ronald Bennett
Jun 12, 2002
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Thomas Flores Douglas
Mar 10, 2004
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Thomas Luell Keen
Sep 15, 2008
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Dionicio M. Camacho
Oct 23, 2009
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Eddie Lynn Wotipka
Jun 10, 2010
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Jesse Valdez, III
Oct 29, 2014
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Tronoski Dontel Jones
Aug 20, 2015
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Darren H. Goforth
Aug 28, 2015
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Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal
Sep 27, 2019
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Raymond John Scholwinski
May 6, 2020
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Juan Menchaca
Jun 13, 2020
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Cornelius Bernard Anderson
Jul 12, 2020
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Johnny Ramos Tunches
Nov 2, 2020
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Robert Perez
Feb 2, 2021
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Alexander David Gwosdz
Apr 22, 2021
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Shaun Christopher Waters
Aug 1, 2021
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Joshua James Sieman
Oct 21, 2021
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Ramon Gutierrez
Jan 24, 2022
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Darren Almendarez
Mar 31, 2022
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Robert Adam Howard
May 11, 2022
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Rondald Bates
Feb 10, 2024
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Bryan Sweetman
Mar 4, 2024
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John Hampton Coddou, III
Apr 23, 2024
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Fernando Esqueda
Jul 11, 2024
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 42-W
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Others Who Wore This Badge
55 officers from Harris County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
