Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, Texas
End of Watch: Tuesday, October 12, 1999
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 3443
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 12, 1999
Weapon Used: Rifle; Semi-automatic
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 30 years
Trooper Terry Miller was shot and killed when he was ambushed at a 911 hang-up call.
Trooper Miller was backing up Deputy Mark Stephenson and Deputy Thomas Monse of the Atascosa County Sheriff's Department, who had also responded to the call at Corgey Road and Coughram Road near Pleasanton. When Trooper Miller arrived on the scene, he discovered the two deputies had been shot and killed. He radioed for backup but was also shot and killed by the subject, who was lying in ambush in a ditch across the road. Trooper Miller wasn't even able to remove his seat belt before being shot.
Other officers who arrived on the scene exchanged fire with the man. Two more officers and the subject were shot and wounded before the man committed suicide with the stolen handgun.
An accomplice to the suspect who bailed him out of jail and helped him purchase ammunition in order to ambush the officers was sentenced to death in March 2001. The conviction was overturned on appeal, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison under a plea agreement
Trooper Miller had served with the Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol for two years and previously served with the Sinton Police Department and San Patricio County Sheriff's Office. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
The portion of Interstate Highway 37 in Atascosa County between mile marker 102 and mile marker 115 is designated as the Trooper Terry Wayne Miller Memorial Highway.