The Raleigh Police Department marked the anniversary of Detective Paul Hale’s death with an End of Watch remembrance, sharing a short tribute video on its official Facebook page on Friday. The post went up ahead of July 11, the date in 1997 when Hale was killed in the line of duty.
According to the post, the video was shared on July 10 and sits alongside the city’s fallen-officers records, which document Hale’s service and the circumstances of his death. Raleigh Police Department Facebook carries the remembrance, while the City of Raleigh maintains a dedicated profile and memorial information for Detective Paul A. Hale.
1997 Stakeout and Aftermath
Memorial and archival records show that Detective Paul A. Hale, 35, was shot and killed during a stakeout on July 11, 1997, as officers approached a suspect they believed was connected to a homicide. Appellate documents and historical accounts report that the defendant, Kawame Lloyd Mays, was later retried, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. The timeline and legal rulings are detailed in both memorial summaries and the state’s appellate decision, and ODMP and court documents provide additional context.
How Raleigh Remembers Its Fallen
The city lays wreaths and reads the names of officers at the Raleigh Police Memorial on the anniversary of each end of watch, with ceremonies structured to center families and colleagues in the act of remembrance. Local reporting and the memorial site document those wreath-layings and yearly roll calls, which routinely feature family members and department leaders. WRAL and city resources recount these traditions and the memorial’s dedication.
The department’s Facebook video remains available to the public, and the Raleigh Police Department’s Public Affairs Office handles information requests at 919-996-1262. The memorial at the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex stands as a yearly reminder of Hale’s service and of the cost borne by families when officers fall in the line of duty.
