Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Dirk Leonardson was accidentally shot and killed by another officer in a case of mistaken identity. Deputy Leonardson was at home when he went outside to investigate suspicious noise in his apartment complex, which had recently been the target of vandals. Deputy Leonardson was carrying his gun when an officer from the Blythe Police Department observed him in a dim light and shot him after mistaking him for an armed criminal. Deputy Leonardson had served with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-27B91E21- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Leonardson gave the Riverside County Sheriff's Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Riverside community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Leonardson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Dirk Alan Leonardson 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Riverside County Sheriff's Department, 12 of 27 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 44.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dirk Alan Leonardson's cause is highlighted.
How Dirk Alan Leonardson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dirk Alan Leonardson is highlighted in Oct.
Others Who Wore This Badge
26 officers from Riverside County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
