Rafael Vazquez-Santiago
Agency patch
Agent

Rafael Vazquez-Santiago

Puerto Rico Police Department — San Juan, 127
Felonious
End of Watch October 25, 1979
Age 33
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
The Vigil Panel 122 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Agent Vazquez-Santiago was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a carjacking suspect. Agent Vazquez-Santiago had served with the agency for 18 months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PR-2201362D
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You barely got started.
Agent Vazquez-Santiago gave the Puerto Rico Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the San Juan community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Agent Vazquez-Santiago.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location San Juan, 127
Platform Identity prpd.pr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 25, 1979
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Agent Rafael Vazquez-Santiago is one of 17,559 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 53.9% of all 32,586 officers honored here.

In 127, 294 of 388 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75.8% of this state's fallen. That is 21.9 percentage points above the national rate of 53.9%.

At Puerto Rico Police Department, 279 of 364 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.6% of this agency's fallen.

Puerto Rico Police Department
279
of 364 officers
76.6% Felonious
127 — Statewide
294
of 388 officers
75.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,559
of 32,586 officers
53.9% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rafael Vazquez-Santiago's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,559 (53.9%)
Accident
10,094 (31%)
Illness
3,037 (9.3%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
334 (1%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)

How Rafael Vazquez-Santiago Compares

Age at End of Watch
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1.5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Rafael Vazquez-Santiago is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Rafael Vazquez-Santiago was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909