Abe Kleeman
Agency patch
Detective

Abe Kleeman

Columbus Division of Police — Columbus, OH
Felonious
End of Watch September 15, 1899
Age 31
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
The Vigil Panel 15 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Detective Abe Kleeman succumbed to gunshot wounds during a shootout at the intersection of Poplar and Harrison Streets (Present-day Thurber Drive).

Detective Kleeman and his partner, a patrolman, were waiting for the subject, who was charged with robbery, on Harrison Street. When the subject rode by on his bicycle, the officers attempted to arrest him. He pulled out a revolver and started shooting. He struck the patrolman in the head. Detective Kleeman returned fire and struck the subject three times while receiving a bullet in the chest.

The suspect died later that day. The patrolman lived with the bullet in his skull. Detective Kellman died five days later.

Detective Kleeman had served with the Columbus Division of Police for ten years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-41ECE3F7
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

127 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Detective Kleeman gave the Columbus Division of Police 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Other
Location Columbus, OH
Platform Identity cdpd.franklin.oh.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 15, 1899
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 31
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Detective Abe Kleeman is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In OH, 572 of 991 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.7% of this state's fallen. That is 57.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Columbus Division of Police, 36 of 59 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61% of this agency's fallen.

Columbus Division of Police
36
of 59 officers
61% Felonious
OH — Statewide
572
of 991 officers
57.7% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Abe Kleeman's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Abe Kleeman Compares

Age at Death
31
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
10
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Abe Kleeman is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location