Police Officer Norman E. Spruiel, Detroit Police Department, Michigan

Police Officer Norman E. Spruiel

Detroit Police Department, Michigan

End of Watch Sunday, October 3, 1993

Norman E. Spruiel

Officer Norman Spruiel succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained three weeks earlier while working an undercover murder case.

He was conducting surveillance with his partner while attempting to locate two suspects who murdered and then mutilated two young men. As the officers were finishing up their surveillance for the night they drove a few blocks away to compare notes at Prairie Street south of Lyndon in a dead end.

Officer Spruiel was standing outside his unmarked patrol car when he was shot twice in the back by a man unrelated to the murder investigation. The subject claimed he did not know the two were police officers and thought they were preparing to rob his brother's body shop.

The suspect was convicted of Officer Spruiel's murder and sentenced to 85 years in prison.

Officer Spruiel had served with the Detroit Police Department for 15 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Bio

Age 43
Tour 15 years
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Incident Date Monday, September 13, 1993
Weapon Rifle
Offender Sentenced to 85 years

surveillance, undercover

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STILL SKATING LIKE U SHOWED US WHEN WE WERE 5,6 YEARS OLD MISS U SO MUCH THE HOLE FAMILY MISS U. U WERE A SPECIAL PERSON IN ALL ARE LIVES. WE WILL NEVER FORGET U AS LONG AS WE LIVE . I WILL CARRY SPRUIEL NAME ON LIKE U TOLD ME TO WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY. I MISS U SPRUIEL..... U ALWAYS TOLD ME IF SOMETHING HAPPEN TO U OR MOTHER U HAVE TO STAY STRONG AND LIVE ON. I STILL REMEMBER WHEN U SAID THAT TO ME. SEE U SOON UR SON CARL SPRUIEL.

CARL SPRUIEL
SON

July 18, 2017