Roll of Honor

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Sergeant

Roscoe William Wheless

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department — Jacksonville, FL

Felonious

End of Watch March 4, 1924

Age 34

The Vigil Panel 46 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 6

Incident

Location: North Carolina Incident Date: Monday, March 3, 1924 Weapon: Handgun Offender: Convicted

Sergeant Roscoe Wheless was shot and killed while checking a freight train in the South Rocky Mount Yards in North Carolina.

During one of the checks he located three men inside a freight car. As he was taking the men into custody, one of them produced a handgun and shot him in the neck.

Sergeant Wheless was taken to Rocky Mount Hospital where he died the following day.

The suspect who shot Sergeant Wheless was arrested and convicted of murder. He was sentenced to a long prison term in the state prison.

Sergeant Wheless was survived by his wife and four children.

Survivors

Sergeant Wheless was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-D8F49827
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Wheless served with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Jacksonville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Wheless.

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

Agency

Department Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department

Location Jacksonville, FL

Platform Identity aclrpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 4, 1924

Age 34

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Offender Convicted

Sergeant Roscoe William Wheless is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department, 6 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.7% of this agency's fallen.

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Police Department

of 7 officers

85.7% Felonious

FL — Statewide

539

of 1,008 officers

53.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious