Wheeler County Sheriff's Office, Texas
End of Watch: Monday, January 1, 1973
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 5 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 31, 1972
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 99 years
Deputy Sheriff Carrol Copeland succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous evening after stopping a car that had been driven away from a gas station in Shamrock without paying for $3.20 of gas.
Deputy Copeland stopped the vehicle 10 miles east of Shamrock on US 60. He spoke with the two occupants, and the driver refused to return to the gas station. The man pulled out a pistol and shot Deputy Copeland in the chest. Deputy Copeland was able to return fire and wounded the suspect. Both men fled to Oklahoma, where they were arrested a short time later.
The vehicle was stolen, one of the suspects was AWOL from the U.S. Military, and the shooter was a member of street gang in California. In the vehicle, they found the murder weapon and several more guns. Both suspects stood trial for the murder. One suspect received two years in exchange for testifying against the actual murderer of Deputy Copeland. The murderer, a 17 year old street gang member, received a 99 year prison sentence.
Deputy Copeland had served with the Wheeler County Sheriff's Office for only five months. He was survived by his wife, three children, and a stepson he was planning to adopt.