Roll of Honor
Richard Thomas Steed
Incident
Officer Richard Steed was shot and killed while responding to what was believed to be a medical assistance call on El Camino Real in which a person claimed to have slashed his wrists. When he arrived at the scene, he was shot by the person who had requested the assistance. The killer, 23, fled the scene but was arrested approximately eight hours later in a nearby parking lot and is incarcerated at a mental hospital, deemed incompetent to stand trial. He was declared too dangerous to release August 10, 1988. Officer Steed was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the San Clemente Police Department for less than two years. He is survived by his wife. A park in San Clemente has been named for Officer Steed. In 2011, a stretch of I-5 that runs through San Clemente was designated as the Officer Richard T. Steed Memorial Highway. Officer Steed is the only member of the San Clemente Police Department to have been killed in the line of duty. Policing services in San Clemente is now provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-E7EF7645- 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 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 Steed gave the San Clemente Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Clemente community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Richard Thomas Steed served in the Other (1972) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Richard Thomas Steed is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Thomas Steed's cause is highlighted.
How Richard Thomas Steed Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Thomas Steed is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Richard Thomas Steed was killed by handgun; .38 caliber.