Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Dick Roach was shot and killed while sitting on his front porch in a Tampa suburb.
It is believed that he was murdered in retaliation by family members of a man he had killed two months earlier as the man resisted arrest, although no one was ever arrested or charged.
Deputy Roach was likely born into slavery in South Carolina and became one of the first black law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in Florida.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, mother, and three siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-02AFC61D- 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
152 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Roach served with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Tampa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Richard Roach 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 15 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Roach's cause is highlighted.
How Richard Roach Compares
Offender Outcome
Never identified
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Roach is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Richard Roach was killed by shotgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
