Detective Charles Douglas Heinrich, 37, was shot in the head on March 3, 1983, while on patrol with partner Officer Jesse Eckard in El Paso, Texas. The officers had stopped to speak with Edsel Willis, a man previously arrested on weapons charges, when Willis produced a .22 caliber handgun and fired. Heinrich was taken to the hospital in a coma.

He remained in a coma for over two years and died on August 29, 1985. Heinrich was a Vietnam veteran and had been named Detective of the Year. He was survived by his wife and a six-year-old son. Willis, described as having a history of mental illness, was charged with attempting to kill the officers and later sentenced to life in prison.