Officer Ralph W. Miller
1950 - 1976

25 years old
Tour of Duty: 1 Years
Died on October 2, 1976

Cause of Death: Gunfire

Date of Incident: Saturday, October 2, 1976

Weapon Used : Hand-Gun

Suspect Info: Cleo Roy, age 15, sentence 55 Years to Life in State Prison.

Officer Miller joined the Manchester Police Department in 1975. He was a native of Manchester and had lived there most of his life. He was a 1970 graduate of Memorial High School and served in the United States Navy from 1972 – 1975 before joining the Department. He was a member of the Manchester Police Relief Association.

On the night of October 2, 1976, Officer Miller and Officer Alexander Dougherty went to a house on Hall Street to investigate a report of a loud music/party.

As the two officers approached the porch, they noticed the silhouette of a person standing behind a screen door. When the officers were approximately twenty feet from the door, at the foot of the porch steps, a shot from a high-powered rifle came from behind the door, hitting Officer Miller in the chest.

Officer Dougherty called for assistance on his radio and a teenager was apprehended and charged with the shooting. Officer Miller died shortly after arriving at Catholic Medical Center-East. He was 25 years old.

He was survived by his wife and daughters