Fallen trooper remembered as Nevada Highway Patrol advocates for safe roadways

Though he was just 3 at the time, Raylan May vividly remembers his father bringing him fruit cups when time would allow on his break.

But the fruit cups — and everything else — came to a stop when Raylan’s father, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Micah May, was struck by a vehicle being operated by an impaired driver on July 27, 2021. The 46-year-old trooper died two days later.

Now 7, Raylan was with his mother, Joanna May, and his 4-year-old sister, Melody, Saturday evening at the Nevada Highway Patrol’s Southern Command complex on Bermuda Road near Harry Reid International Airport.

The occasion was to highlight the Highway Patrol’s annual statewide Joining Forces campaign to help combat impaired driving, reckless driving and excessive speed.

The year-long campaign, a team effort with a long list of other Nevada law enforcement agencies, is to raise awareness of the issue and takes place each year in memory of May.

May, 32, talked to members of the media Saturday before she went on a ride-along — for the fourth year in a row — to honor her husband.

“When we had Raylan, Micah decided to move from graveyard shift to day shift because we thought it would be safer,” said May, a Henderson resident.

As it turned out, trooper May was struck in the middle of the day while attempting to deploy “stop sticks” intended to puncture a stolen vehicle’s tires on Interstate 15 near Sahara Avenue.

“It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, there’s always impaired drivers on the road,” May said. “The reason why we’re doing this event is to get impaired drivers off the road.”

‘Just be smart’

May said the reason why she tries to advocate safe driving is because she doesn’t want other families to have to go through what hers has.

“For people who want to go out and have a good time, please Uber,” May said. “If you have money for drinks, you have money for an Uber. You have Uber, Lyft, taxis, limos, friends — just be smart. I know the pain families feel when this happens. There are kids who have to grow up without their dad because of drunk driving.”

May said she takes her children to the Highway Patrol’s Southern Command from time to time to see her husband’s old squad car. Raylan likes to sit in the driver’s seat, as any 7-year-old would.

Of course, it’s still early, but when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Raylan didn’t hesitate.

“Police … like my dad,” he said. “He caught bad guys and drunk people.”

May said Raylan has asked her if the chances of dying as a trooper are high.

“He’s been saying it for four years, that he wants to be a trooper,” May said. “A lot of people tell me to not let that happen, but I’m the opposite. I will support him 100 percent if he wants to be a trooper.”

Still dangerous

Last year, there were 412 recorded traffic deaths in Nevada, which represented the fourth-deadliest year on record, according to state records dating back to 1991 and tracked by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

As of last week, there were nearly 200 traffic deaths reported in the state so far in 2025.

“We’re trying to get the reckless drivers and DUI drivers off our roads so they don’t end up killing themselves or somebody else,” said trooper Shawn Haggstrom on Saturday. “We’re hoping that we’re heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, through the state of Nevada, we have 194 fatalities so far this year. That number is down over 9 percent from last year, but having even one person deceased is way too many.”

For May, next month would have marked her 10-year wedding anniversary. She said she keeps busy, doing nonprofit work and raising her young children, but she still struggles with what happened.

After he ran over trooper May, Douglas Claiborne, 60, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers.

“I’m human,” May said. “I know, as a Christian, I’m supposed to forgive. I’m working on that with God. Do I firmly believe God is handling it? Yes.”

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.