Phillip A. Black

Florida Highway Patrol — Tallahassee, FL

Veteran → Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch February 20, 1976

Age 39

Tour of Duty 9 yrs

The Vigil Panel 116 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 53

Incident

Trooper Phillip Black was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious vehicle that contained narcotics at a rest stop on I-95 south of Hillsboro Boulevard in Deerfield Beach, Florida. During the stop at least one of the subjects in the car opened fire, killing Trooper Black. Corporal Donald Irwin, of the Ontario Provincial Police, Canada, was riding along with Trooper Black while on vacation. When Corporal Irwin went to assist Trooper Black he was also shot and killed. One of the subjects in the vehicle was on parole. Two men and a woman were arrested and charged with their murders. One of the men was convicted of capital murder and executed on May 4th, 1990. Trooper Black had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for nine years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FL-1CE3FC28
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. Marine Corps, salute.nw. One record, 3 gates. Phillip is one person.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Black gave the Florida Highway Patrol 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Florida. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Black.

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

Agency

Department Florida Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Tallahassee, FL

Platform Identity fhp.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 20, 1976

Tour of Duty 9 yrs

Age 39

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Phillip A. Black served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1956â1964) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Phillip A. Black is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 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 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

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

of 54 officers

42.6% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious