Charles W. "Chuck" Parks
Agency patch
Trooper

Charles W. "Chuck" Parks

Florida Highway Patrol — Tallahassee, FL
Felonious
End of Watch February 6, 1973
Age 28
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 111 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper Charles Parks was shot and killed when he stopped two armed robbery suspects on Interstate 95 in Nassau County just north of Jacksonville. The suspects had robbed a finance company in Woodbine, Georgia. One suspect shot him when he found the money they took during a search of their car. Both were apprehended a mile from the scene by several state troopers. Trooper Parks' service revolver was found in their car. Both suspects, 20 and 22, were charged with murder. The youngest was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life. The other was convicted of third degree murder and sentenced to 15 years. I-95 at the Welcome Center in Nassau County, Florida, was renamed the Trooper Charles W. Parks Memorial Highway. Trooper Parks had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for six years. He is survived by his pregnant wife and daughter. His second daughter was born a few months later.

Survivors

He is survived by his pregnant wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-82146CD5
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Parks gave the Florida Highway Patrol 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Florida. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Parks.

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

Agency

Location Tallahassee, FL
Platform Identity fhp.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 6, 1973
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Sentenced to life

Trooper Charles W. "Chuck" Parks is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Florida Highway Patrol, 23 of 54 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.6% of this agency's fallen.

Florida Highway Patrol
23
of 54 officers
42.6% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles W. "Chuck" Parks's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Charles W. "Chuck" Parks Compares

Age at End of Watch
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Sentenced to life

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles W. "Chuck" Parks is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles W. "Chuck" Parks was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518