Roll of Honor
Robert J. Crosby
Incident
Patrolman Robert Crosby was shot and killed after he and his partner stopped two men for reckless driving at the intersection of Beaumont Highway and Baytown Highway (modern-day McCarty Street and Market Street) in Houston. Unbeknownst to the officers, one of the men had just shot and wounded a Harris County sheriff's deputy who had stopped them minutes earlier. Before the officers could exit their vehicles, one of the men opened fire, shooting Patrolman Crosby in the face and wounding his partner. His partner was able to return fire, but both subjects escaped. The men were arrested the next day. The shooter was a convicted felon who had just been released on parole. He and his brother had committed armed robbery of a motel and were fleeing the scene when they were pulled over. The brother was convicted of robbery. The shooter was convicted of capital murder and executed on April 4, 1957. Patrolman Crosby had served with the Texas Highway Patrol for 14 months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-06D56D23- 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
You barely got started.
Patrolman Crosby gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Crosby.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Robert J. Crosby 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, 35 of 95 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 36.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert J. Crosby's cause is highlighted.
How Robert J. Crosby Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1957
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert J. Crosby is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert J. Crosby was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
94 officers from Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
