CITRUS COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Along US, 19 there is a bridge over the bypass canal that separates Citrus and Levy Counties.
It was right before that bridge in December of 1973 that Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper Ronald Gordon Smith – just 8 months on the job – went to check on a suspicious car off the road. Trooper Smith was shot and killed when he came across two men in that parked car off US 19 in Inglis.
They attempted to flee but two deer hunters, who had witnessed the shooting, wounded one of them and then captured both. FHP says the shooter died in prison in 2023.
Trooper Smith was just 28 years old. On Thursday, he was remembered 50 years later in a ceremony rededicating the section of roadway where he was killed.
Law enforcement and emergency personal and dignitaries from state and local government came together to honor him and his service. The National Association of Retired Law Enforcement Officers (NARLEO) led the memorial with an honor guard salute followed by taps.
A final roll call was played for those attending and broadcast to law enforcement over police radios to remember Smith.
NARLEO is responsible for the monument, they say they hope it will be a lasting reminder to one man’s dedication to duty and will ensure that the memory of that fateful December day will not fade from the community’s memory.
