Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Ronny Lerma was killed after being struck by a van during a traffic stop on the southbound lanes of Interstate 635 at Centerville Road at 10:50 a.m. As Officer Lerma was reaching over his motorcycle to get out his ticket book, the van pulled into the median and struck him, throwing him down the highway. The van also struck the vehicle that Officer Lerma had pulled over, pushing it into oncoming traffic and killing the driver. The driver of the van was injured in the accident and admitted to the hospital. The driver pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years of probation and a fine of $5000. Officer Lerma had served with the Garland Police Department for 11 years and previously served with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-3D90342A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Lerma gave the Garland Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Garland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Lerma.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Ronnie Ray Lerma is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Garland Police Dept., 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ronnie Ray Lerma's cause is highlighted.
How Ronnie Ray Lerma Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ronnie Ray Lerma is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Garland Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
