Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, Texas
End of Watch: Saturday, September 14, 1974
Age: 48
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 14, 1974
Weapon Used: Handgun; .32 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life in prison
Patrolman Hollie Tull was shot and killed after stopping two men who had just committed a bank robbery of the Walburg State Bank in Walburg near Georgetown.
During the robbery, the suspects made everyone lie face down on the floor. They shot three in the head without provocation. Miraculously, all three survived. Two were treated and released. One was admitted to a hospital in serious condition.
Patrolman Tull stopped the suspects at 30th Street, near the Temple landfill. While holding one of the suspect's ID cards, he was struck by two shotgun blasts. Despite being severely wounded, Patrolman Tull was able to return to his patrol car to retrieve his shotgun and alert other officers of his location. The suspects followed him to the vehicle, and he continued to struggle with them before being shot several more times with a .32 caliber handgun.
The suspects, both 20, were AWOL soldiers from Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Both were captured, convicted, and sentenced to death. Their death sentences were later reduced to life in prison. One was denied parole on February 19, 2016. His next parole hearing is in February of 2026. The other suspect was denied parole on July 6, 2018, and July 2023.
Patrolman Tull was a United States Navy WWII veteran and had served with the Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol for 14 years, assigned to Temple. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, and a sister.