Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

Robert Buitrago

Winston-Salem Police Department — Winston-Salem, NC

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch January 15, 1994

Age 23

Tour of Duty 6 mo

Badge 541

The Vigil Panel 140 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 18

Incident

Officer Robert Buitrago was shot and killed while attempting to stop a robbery at a grocery store where he was shopping, despite being unarmed.

The suspect, 38, was apprehended and sentenced to death. As of June 9, 2023, he remains on death row.

Officer Buitrago, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 4 years, had served with the Winston-Salem Police Department for only 6 months.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NC-9FE3526E
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Robert. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Robert is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Buitrago served with the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Winston-Salem community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Winston-Salem Police Department

Type Other

Location Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC

Platform Identity wpd.forsyth.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 15, 1994

Tour of Duty 6 mo

Age 23

Badge Number 541

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Military Service

Robert Buitrago served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Robert Buitrago 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 NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 58 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Winston-Salem Police Department, 10 of 19 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 52.6% of this agency's fallen.

Winston-Salem Police Department

of 19 officers

52.6% Felonious

NC — Statewide

385

of 664 officers

58% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious