Yorktown Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Sunday, July 11, 1976
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 15 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 11, 1976
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Paroled revoked
Patrol Officer William Mullins was shot and killed by a DUI suspect after a brief chase.
Officer Mullins had been notified via his radio to be on the lookout for an intoxicated driver arriving into Yorktown from Cuero. He stopped the vehicle and checked the license and registration, and returned to his cruiser to call for backup when the suspect sped away. Officer Mullins chased him to his residence on State Highway 119, where Officer Mullins notified dispatch that he needed backup transport for the suspect to the Cuero County Jail.
In the meantime, Officer Mullins exited his vehicle to speak to a relative of the suspect, and as both approached the suspect, the suspect opened fire, striking Officer Mullins in the head and chest. The backup unit arrived and found Officer Mullins on the ground and immediately called for an ambulance and assistance. Officer Mullins was transported to the Yorktown Memorial Hospital where he died that evening.
The suspect was apprehended at the scene. He was originally sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison after an appeal in August of 1979. He was paroled on November 2, 2022, but was denied parole on January 11, 2023, due to protests.
Officer Mullins was a United States Air Force veteran who served with the Yorktown Police Department for only three months and had previously served with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office for three years. He was survived by his wife, four children, parents, and three siblings.