James L. Scholl
Sergeant

James L. Scholl

Baltimore Police Department — Baltimore, MD
Felonious
End of Watch August 1, 1953
Age 41
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Badge 1240
The Vigil Panel 89 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant James Scholl was shot and fatally wounded and another officer was seriously wounded on July 20th, 1953, during a gun battle at a tavern and died as a result of those injuries on August 1st, 1953. He and other officers had discovered several men burglarizing a tavern in the 1800 block of Broening Highway at approximately 3:00 am. One of the subjects opened fire, wounding Sergeant Scholl. The 20-year-old suspect was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life. Sergeant Scholl had served with the Baltimore Police Department for 10 years and was a second generation officer with the agency.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, mother, sister, and three brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MD-51EB57FD
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Scholl gave the Baltimore City Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Baltimore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Scholl.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Baltimore, MD
Platform Identity baltpd.baltimore.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 1, 1953
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 41
Badge Number 1240
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Sergeant James L. Scholl 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 MD, 195 of 377 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.7% of this state's fallen. That is 51.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Baltimore Police Department, 80 of 151 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this agency's fallen.

Baltimore Police Department
80
of 151 officers
53% Felonious
MD — Statewide
195
of 377 officers
51.7% 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. James L. Scholl's cause is highlighted.

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

How James L. Scholl Compares

Age at Death
41
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. James L. Scholl is highlighted in Aug.

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. James L. Scholl was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location