Ricky Joe Childers

Tampa Police Department — Tampa, FL

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch May 19, 1998

Age 46

Tour of Duty 18 yrs

The Vigil Panel 145 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 28

Incident

Detective Ricky Childers and Detective Randy Bell were shot and killed transporting a suspect to the police station for questioning. The suspect had earlier shot his girlfriend's 3-year-old child in the face with a rifle and took the child to a fire station. As Detective Bell and Detective Childers were transporting the suspect, he was able to free one of his hands from the handcuffs using a hidden key as the car approached I-275 on Floribraska Avenue. He then reached into the front seat and gained control of one of the detectives' weapons. He shot and killed the driver as he sat in the front seat and the passenger as he was climbing over the back seat in an attempt to get the gun from the suspect. The suspect then obtained his rifle from the trunk of the car and car-jacked another vehicle. He led police on a chase where he shot and killed Florida State Trooper James B. Crooks. The suspect committed suicide after a standoff at a local gas station. Detective Childers had served with the Tampa Police Department for 18 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FL-25A45837
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. One record, 2 gates. Ricky is one person.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Childers gave the Tampa Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tampa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Childers.

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

Agency

Department Tampa Police Department

Type Other

Location Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL

Platform Identity tpd.hillsborough.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 19, 1998

Tour of Duty 18 yrs

Age 46

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Military Service

Ricky Joe Childers served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1970â1971) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Detective Ricky Joe Childers 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 Tampa Police Department, 21 of 29 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 72.4% of this agency's fallen.

Tampa Police Department

of 29 officers

72.4% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious