Richard Walters Gould
Agency patch
Lieutenant

Richard Walters Gould

Florence Police Department — Florence, SC
Felonious
End of Watch August 22, 1989
Age 35
Tour of Duty 11 yrs 6 mo
Badge 209
The Vigil Panel 135 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant Richard Gould was shot and killed while working at the front desk at the police station in the City-County Complex at 3:00 pm. A mentally ill person entered the station and asked to speak to the watch commander. Lieutenant Gould took him to his office and spoke to him for about five minutes before the man suddenly pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot him in the head. The man then ran outside of the building and shot himself in the head. Lieutenant Gould had served with the Florence Police Department for 11-1/2 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-F8FA2385
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.
Lieutenant Gould gave the Florence Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Florence community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Gould.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Florence, Florence County, SC
Platform Identity fpd.florence.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 22, 1989
Tour of Duty 11 yrs 6 mo
Age 35
Badge Number 209
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Lieutenant Richard Walters Gould 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 SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Florence Police Department, 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Florence Police Department
5
of 5 officers
100% Felonious
SC — Statewide
272
of 441 officers
61.7% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Walters Gould's cause is highlighted.

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

How Richard Walters Gould Compares

Age at Death
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
11.5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Walters Gould is highlighted in Aug.

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. Richard Walters Gould was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location