Urmson Leroy Strayer

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department — Baltimore, MD

Felonious

End of Watch July 8, 1927

Age 28

The Vigil Panel 53 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 21

Incident

Location: Pennsylvania Weapon: Handgun Offender: Arrested

Detective Urmson Strayer was shot and killed after he and another detective caught a subject trespassing inside of a railroad engine in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad yards in New Castle Junction, Pennsylvania.

The detectives ordered the subject off of the engine and to leave the railroad yards. After the man climbed off of the engine he pulled out a handgun and shot Detective Strayer. The man then jumped aboard an outgoing freight train headed to Ohio.

A suspect matching the description of Detective Strayer's murdered was arrested several days later in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Detective Strayer was survived by his wife, 7-year-old daughter, and mother. He was buried in Oak Park Cemetery in New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Survivors

Detective Strayer was survived by his wife, 7-year-old daughter, and mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-7675EA06
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.
Detective Strayer served with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Baltimore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Strayer.

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

Agency

Department Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Baltimore, MD

Platform Identity borpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 8, 1927

Age 28

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Detective Urmson Leroy Strayer 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 and Ohio Railroad Police Department, 13 of 22 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.1% of this agency's fallen.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department

of 22 officers

59.1% Felonious

MD — Statewide

195

of 377 officers

51.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious