Gayle Lamar Holmes
Agency patch
Patrolman

Gayle Lamar Holmes

Felonious
End of Watch May 19, 1972
Age 26
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 110 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Holmes and Sheriff Paul Vinson of the King County Sheriff's Department, Texas, were shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call outside a rural store between Paducah and Guthrie. While they were placing one man in the patrol car, another man stepped onto the store's porch behind them and began firing. A third highway patrolman returned fire but suffered no injury. The suspect, 20, was taken into custody at a ranch about a mile away. He was later convicted of Sheriff Vinson's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was denied parole on March 16, 2018. His next parole hearing is in January of 2023. Patrolman Holmes had been with the Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol for only 12 days and was stationed at Spur.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
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Stewardship
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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.
Patrolman Holmes served with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Holmes.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Austin, Travis County, TX
Platform Identity tdpsthp.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 19, 1972
Tour of Duty
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Gayle is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1972, 142 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 28th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Gayle was 26. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Gayle had served 0 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Fridays: 14.3%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol has 96 officers remembered here, Gayle among them.

Across the years

Patrolman Gayle Lamar Holmes

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol · End of Watch May 19, 1972

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 49-W

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