WACO, Texas (KXXV) — On Friday, Texas Department of Public Safety officials and loved ones of retired Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Shown remembered him with an honorary monument.
- Shown joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1980. He graduated as a member of Class B-80.
- He is the 243rd DPS officer to die in the line of duty since 1835.
“It means so much to me that Daniel is remembered," said Rachel Dunn, sister of Daniel Shown.
On Friday, Rachel Dunn and her family, along with Texas Department of Public Safety officials, gathered to remember Rachel’s baby brother, whom she calls Daniel Shown.
A monument dedication ceremony honored the dedicated service and legacy of retired Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Shown. Dunn said this moment means a lot to her family.
“He had a hard life since 1988; he was shot in ’88. They said he wouldn’t live, but God has other plans, and he went on to tell his testimony and tell people what God had done for him" said Dunn.
The Texas Department of Public Safety reports on December 16, 1988, shown along with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, responded to an armed suspect who had threatened his family with a shotgun. The suspect opened fire, hitting Shown in the forehead. The injury resulted in the loss of his right eye and permanent paralysis on the left side of his body.
Shown retired after his injury but always stayed in contact with his work family.
Shown passed away on February 27, 2026, from complications resulting directly from a line-of-duty injury.
Sergeant Ryan Howard with the Texas Department of Public Safety said that, while he didn’t work with Shown, he built a relationship with him throughout the years and said Shown taught him how to persevere.
“To keep pushing forward, no matter what you experience in life…obstacles will get in your way, and as the obstacles get in your way, remember the goals and keep pushing forward to get where you want to get to so you can achieve greatness," said Sgt. Ryan Howard with The Texas Department of Public Safety.
Dunn said her brother loved his job and loved connecting with people. She said having a memorial honoring his life and service is a special moment.
“He thought that he would quietly die and that would be the end of it…nobody would really remember who he was and what he did," said Dunn.
