Ronald Gordon Smith

Florida Highway Patrol — Tallahassee, FL

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch December 23, 1973

Age 28

Tour of Duty 4 yrs 3 mo

The Vigil Panel 113 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 53

Incident

Trooper Ronald Smith was shot and killed while checking on two suspicious men parked on a dirt road east of U.S. 19, three miles north of Crystal River in Citrus County. One of the men, age 23, shot Trooper Smith four times. The subjects attempted to flee, but two nearby hunters shot and wounded one of them and then captured both. One suspect was an escapee from an Oklahoma prison, and the other was a parolee. The shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. In 1989 his sentence was commuted to life. As of November 20, 2020, he was still in a Florida Prison. His companion was sentenced to two years for accessory to murder. Trooper Smith was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for three months and had previously served with the Tallahassee Police Department. He was survived by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. His father retired from the Tallahassee Police Department.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and 2-year-old daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FL-8D947827
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Ronald is one person.

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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.
Trooper Smith gave the Florida Highway Patrol 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Florida, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Florida Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Tallahassee, FL

Platform Identity fhp.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 23, 1973

Tour of Duty 4 yrs 3 mo

Age 28

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Ronald Gordon Smith served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Ronald Gordon Smith is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 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 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Florida Highway Patrol, 23 of 54 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.6% of this agency's fallen.

Florida Highway Patrol

of 54 officers

42.6% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,756 officers

0% Felonious