Louisiana State Police, Louisiana
End of Watch: Saturday, July 2, 1977
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 2, 1977
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Executed
Trooper Donald Cleveland was shot and killed during a traffic stop near Lafayette, Louisiana.
He had stopped the vehicle with juveniles inside on Louisiana 94 after it left a nightclub between Lafayette and Breaux Bridge.
The 17-year-old driver had just been released from prison for a murder he committed only two years earlier. The juvenile was sentenced to death for Trooper Cleveland's murder and was the last prisoner to be executed by the electric chair in Louisiana.
Trooper Cleveland had served with the Louisiana State Police for 1-1/2 years. He was survived by his wife and two children.