Corporal Marcial Rodriguez - Citrus County Sheriff's Office - FL - True Life Hero

Marcial Rodriguez
- Oct. 24, 2025 -

(31347)

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Citrus County Sheriff's Office Patch

Resided:	FL, USA
Born:	Unk
Fallen:	Oct. 24, 2025
Race/Sex:	Hispanic Male / 53 yrs. of age
	Agency
Dept:	Citrus County Sheriff's Office - FL 1 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Inverness, FL 34450 USA (352)726-4488
County:	Citrus
Dept. Type:	County/Police
Hero's Rank:	Corporal
Sworn Date:	8/2000
FBI Class:	Death - Natural
Weapon Class:	Heart
Agency URL:	Click Here
Badge:	301
On The Job:	25 years
Duties:	School Resource Officer

Bio: Marcial was born and raised in Queens, NY to Marcial, Sr. and Luz (Padilla) Rodriguez. After high school, Marcial along with his parents and sister relocated to Orlando, Florida. It was in Orlando that he would meet his wife (of nearly 30 years) Carol and eventually marry and relocate to Citrus County. Marcial has worked at Cypress Creek Academy in Lecanto and also Eckerd Youth Academy in Brooksville. After completing the law enforcement academy at the Withlacoochee Vocational School, he worked for a short time with the Inverness Police Dept before joining the Citrus County Sheriff's Office in August of 2000.

Marcial had held various roles and positions throughout his distinguished career. Starting as a Deputy Sheriff, he has served as a Crime Scene Technician, a member of the Bomb Team, Member of the Crisis Negotiation team, Community Crimes Detective, Domestic Violence Detective, eventually transitioning to School Resource Officer for Pleasant Grove Elementary and then ultimately to School Resource Officer for Crystal River High School for over 7 years. He had the opportunity to switch schools and he respectfully declined stating 'these are my kids and this is my school and I am a pirate,' Which made for interesting conversations considering his sons are Hurricanes and his nephew was a Panther. Marcial wasn't just a cop, he was a brother to many and a mentor to countless young people.'

Survived by:

Wife
and two sons

Fatal Incident Summary

Offender:	No Info
Location:	FL USA
Summary:	Corporal Marcial Rodriguez suffered a fatal heart attack after completing his shift as a School Resource Officer at Crystal River High School at 3195 Crystal River High Drive in Crystal River. On October 24, 2025, during his 15-hour shift, Corporal Rodriguez was involved in multiple incidents, including the pursuit of a student fleeing campus. He then oversaw crowd management and security for the Senior Night Football Game. When he returned home, he was unable to be resuscitated after suffering a cardiac event.
Source:	Website Click
Source:	Obit Click

Last Updated: Dec. 27, 2025