Officer Paul Douglas Hulsey, Jr., Beaumont Police Department, Texas

Officer Paul Douglas Hulsey, Jr.

Beaumont Police Department, Texas

End of Watch Tuesday, March 22, 1988

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Paul Douglas Hulsey, Jr.

Officer Paul Hulsey was shot and killed while investigating a Chevrolet Corvette with stolen plates.

He had spotted the vehicle in a hotel parking lot and learned that it was stolen after running its tags. He requested backup after learning which room the suspect was in from the hotel manager. His backup officer was sent to another call involving a pedestrian fatality so Officer Hulsey approached the suspect alone as the man came out of the hotel room.

A violent struggle ensued and the suspect was able to retrieve a gun from the room and fatally shoot Officer Hulsey. Officer Hulsey had no idea that the suspect was wanted in Florida for killing a 14-year-old girl and in Indiana for killing a 16-year-old girl and robbing a bank. The suspect was later apprehended and subsequently received death sentences in Florida, Indiana, and Texas for the murder of at least four other victims. He was executed on December 9th, 1997.

Officer Hulsey had served with the Beaumont Police Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, his mother, his father (a former Galveston police chief), and other family members.

Bio

Age 30
Tour 8 years
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .357 caliber
Offender Executed in 1997

stolen vehicle, murder suspect

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Remembering BPD Officer Paul Hulsey Jr. - EOW: 03/22/1988

Posted on Sat, March 22nd 2025
FOX 4 NEWS Beaumont

Beaumont — The Beaumont Police Department and many in the community are remembering Officer Paul Douglas Hulsey Jr. on this day, 37 years after he was killed in the line of duty on March 22, 1988.

Officer Hulsey was shot and killed while investigating a vehicle with stolen plates. He had spotted the vehicle in a hotel parking lot on 11th Street and found out it was stolen after running its tags. He requested backup after learning which room the suspect was in. His backup officer was sent to another call involving a pedestrian fatality nearby on 11th Street, so Officer Hulsey approached the suspect as he came out of his room.

A violent struggle ensued and the suspect was able to retrieve a gun from the room and fatally shoot Officer Hulsey. Officer Hulsey had no idea the suspect was wanted in Florida for killing a 14-year-old girl and in Indiana for killing a 16-year-old girl and robbing a bank.

Michael Lee Lockhart was later caught in a taxi near the Trinity River Bridge heading toward Houston. A state trooper arrested him at gunpoint and Lockhart told him, "I'm the one you're looking for."

Lockhart's trial was moved to San Antonio. At one point, he tried to escape by jumping out of a second floor window in a hallway. He was caught on the ground. A jury convicted Lockhart of capital murder and he was sentenced to death. He was executed on December 9, 1997.

Officer Hulsey had served with BPD for 8 years and left behind a wife and two daughters.

A KFDM reporter interviewed Officer Hulsey on the afternoon of March 15, 1988, exactly one week before his murder. He was trying to arrest a suspect with crack cocaine at the Magnolia Gardens housing complex. He was personable, outgoing, and took the time to speak with KFDM even though he'd been in a lengthy foot pursuit. He said he loved police work and was planning to one day become a DEA agent.

The local 100 Club's creation is a tribute to his legacy of service and sacrifice to the community.