Officer Wilmer M. "Tex" Richards

Wilmer M. "Tex" Richards

Officer Tex Richards was shot and killed while assisting fellow officers with a man who had barricaded himself in his home at the intersection of North Avenue and Williams Street near the Georgia Tech campus.

Officers had gone to the suspect's home to investigate a hit-and-run accident after a motorist complained that he backed into his car and left the scene. The suspect met them at his front door with a shotgun and refused to come out. At 3:00 p.m., when the officers attempted to dislodge him with teargas, he opened fire, killing Officer Richards and wounding three other officers. The officers returned fire and killed the man.

Officer Richards had served with the Atlanta Police Department for 25 years and would have retired in two months. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, two brothers, a sister, and five grandchildren.