Murder of Richard Raczkoski
1986 murder of a police officer in Florida
The murder of Richard Raczkoski (October 30, 1956 – September 23, 1986), a 29-year-old police corporal and Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy, occurred on September 23, 1986, in Vero Beach, Florida, United States. While responding to a 911 call, Raczkoski was shot to death by a man named William Reaves (born December 30, 1948) in front of a local convenience store. Reaves was later arrested in Georgia, and extradited to Florida to be charged with Raczkoski's murder. Reaves was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He is on death row awaiting his execution on October 20, 2026.
Murder
On September 23, 1986, at 3 am, in Vero Beach, Florida, 29-year-old police corporal Richard Raczkoski, a sheriff's deputy of the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, responded to a 911 call made from a phone booth outside a convenience store in Vero Beach. Minutes after arriving at the scene, Raczkoski was shot outside the store, and his body was found with four gunshot wounds. An autopsy report showed that three bullets penetrated his vital organs and caused extensive internal hemorrhage.
According to a witness, he saw an African-American man, wearing a white T-shirt and red shorts, running away from the scene; the witness noted that the man's manner of running resembled that of soldiers under fire during the Vietnam War. Inside Raczkoski's car, the police found a note, which said: "William Reaves, black male, 4336 38th Avenue, date of birth 12/30/48".
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