Richard Maurice Blackwell
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Richard Maurice Blackwell

Accident
End of Watch September 6, 1989
Age 25
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 135 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Richard Blackwell was killed in a motorcycle crash while escorting a funeral procession. He was traveling on Ella Boulevard when he collided with a vehicle at West 27th Street. Deputy Blackwell had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for five years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two sons, and parents.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-147BA1FC
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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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Blackwell gave the Harris County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Blackwell.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Houston, Harris County, TX
Platform Identity hcso.harris.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 6, 1989
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 25
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff Richard Maurice Blackwell is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Harris County Sheriff's Office, 20 of 56 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.7% of this agency's fallen.

Harris County Sheriff's Office
20
of 56 officers
35.7% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Maurice Blackwell's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Richard Maurice Blackwell Compares

Age at Death
25
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Maurice Blackwell is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location