Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Winston Rawlins was killed by a fireball that resulted from an accident in which a gasoline truck was struck by a tractor-trailer in the 9000 block of South Loop East. Officer Rawlins was conducting a traffic stop when traffic began to back up. A gasoline truck had slowed down due to traffic and stopped in traffic next to Officer Rawlins. A tractor-trailer then struck the right side of the gasoline truck then, striking Officer Rawlins and killing him. When Officer Rawlins observed the impending accident, he was able to push the citizen to safety. When the tractor-trailer struck the gasoline truck, a fireball erupted, and Officer Rawlins was trapped in it. Later that day, Houston Police Officer William DeLeon was struck and killed on his motorcycle by a speeding motorist. Officer Rawlins had been with the Houston Police Department for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his two daughters, parents, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-593ECC4E- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Rawlins gave the Houston Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Rawlins.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Winston James Rawlins is one of 10,094 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,586 officers honored here.
In TX, 657 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 3.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Houston Police Department, 29 of 117 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Winston James Rawlins's cause is highlighted.
How Winston James Rawlins Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Winston James Rawlins is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
116 officers from Houston Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
