Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Spike Womeldorf was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer during a gunfight with bootleggers on Naghten Street and Cleveland Avenue in Columbus at 5:30 p.m. Three federal agents and officers from the Columbus Division of Police raided the home of a suspected bootlegger. The subject dumped five gallons of liquor down the sink and fired on officers, striking one in the leg. When the suspect fled the house, officers pursued the suspect, and a gunfight ensued. A four-year-old boy playing outside was struck in the shoulder. Detective Womeldorf was shot in the back and died instantly. The bootlegging suspect was apprehended. Detective Womeldorf was a United States Army WWI military police veteran servingas a motor officer in Belgium and France.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-7CF05502- 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 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.
Detective Womeldorf served with the Columbus Division of Police.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Walter O. "Spike" Womeldorf served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Detective Walter O. "Spike" Womeldorf is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Columbus Division of Police, 19 of 59 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Walter O. "Spike" Womeldorf's cause is highlighted.
How Walter O. "Spike" Womeldorf Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Walter O. "Spike" Womeldorf is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
58 officers from Columbus Division of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
