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Trooper

Tony Vian Radulescu

Washington State Patrol — Olympia, WA

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch February 23, 2012

Age 44

Tour of Duty 16 yrs

The Vigil Panel 359 · Column 3 · Line 6 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Military Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 33

Incident

Trooper Tony Radulescu was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on a driver of a pickup truck on State Route 16, at Anderson Hill Road, in Gorst, shortly before 1:00 am.

He had radioed in his location along with the pickup truck's license plate and description to dispatchers. Dispatchers were unable to contact him again and a Kitsap County sheriff's deputy was sent to check on his status. The deputy discovered him laying near his patrol car suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma where he was pronounced dead.

It was later determined that he had conducted a passenger side approach of the pickup truck. The driver, a convicted felon, had told his female passenger to lean her seat back, and as Trooper Radulescu came to the window the driver leaned over and shot him.

The vehicle that Trooper Radulescu had stopped was found abandoned on a country road approximately three hours later. A SWAT team was deployed to the registered owner's home and, as they approached, the suspect committed suicide.

The passenger in the vehicle was sentenced to one year in prison on charges connected to the shooting.

Trooper Radulescu was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Washington State Patrol for 16 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his son.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Tony is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Radulescu gave the Washington State Patrol 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Washington. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Washington State Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Olympia, Thurston County, WA

Platform Identity whp.wa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 23, 2012

Tour of Duty 16 yrs

Age 44

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Tony Vian Radulescu served in the U.S. Army (1986â1994) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Tony is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 2012, 66 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 109th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Tony was 44. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Tony had served 16 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

February holds 7.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Thursdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded