Roll of Honor

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Patrolman

Peter Shemela

Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department — Philadelphpia, PA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch April 18, 1944

Age 28

Tour of Duty 3 mo

The Vigil Panel 80 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 35

Incident

Patrolman Peter Shemela was killed in Warren, Pennsylvania when a three-inch military artillery shell exploded.

The shell had been found along the railroad tracks two weeks earlier and turned over to Patrolman Shemela. He was attempting to disassemble it inside of a toolshed in the Pennsylvania Railroad yards when it exploded, killing him instantly.

Patrolman Shemela was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and had served in the U.S. Navy before the war.

Survivors

He had served with the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department for three months and was survived by his parents, brother, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-C756374D
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Peter. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Peter is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Shemela served with the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphpia community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Philadelphpia, PA

Platform Identity pennpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 18, 1944

Tour of Duty 3 mo

Age 28

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Peter Shemela served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Peter Shemela is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 33.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department, 22 of 36 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.1% of this agency's fallen.

Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department

of 36 officers

61.1% Accident

PA — Statewide

417

of 1,261 officers

33.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Accident