Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee
End of Watch: Tuesday, November 6, 1973
Age: 22
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 5, 1973
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 20 years
Officer Raymond Wheeler was shot and killed while he and his partner searched three juvenile suspects in the parking lot of the juvenile detention center.
During the search, one of the juveniles produced a .22 caliber handgun and opened fire. Officer Wheeler jumped in front of his partner and was struck in the head. Officer Wheeler was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wound early the next morning.
The suspect attempted to flee but was captured. The 17-year-old suspect and his 17-year-old accomplice were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison on November 29, 1974. The accomplice was paroled in 1984. On February 18, 1985, he robbed a man at gunpoint and then raped his wife. He was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 30 years. The rape victim refused to go to court because she did not want others to know who she was.
Officer Wheeler was a U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran and served with the Metro Nashville Police Department for one year. He was survived by his wife.