William J. ""Red"" Grooms

Kansas City Police Department — Kansas City, MO

Felonious Veteran

End of Watch June 17, 1933

Age 29

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 1 mo

The Vigil Panel 66 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 119

Incident

Detective Bill "Red" Grooms was one of four law enforcement officers killed in an incident referred to as the Kansas City Massacre at the Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. At 7:17 a.m., as officers placed an escaped convict into a federal car to transport him to Leavenworth, two men stepped out from behind a parked car and fired at officers. During the barrage of gunfire, a car containing a few men also shot at officers with machine guns as they passed the parked cars. Detective Grooms was standing between two of the parked patrol cars. His gun had been fired two times before he was struck and killed. Detective Grooms had served with the Kansas City Police Department for over one year. Survivors include his wife, parents, and sister. On June 17, 1933, a group of men attempted to free inmate Frank Nash as he was being transported to Leavenworth. In the ensuing gun battle, Detective Frank Hermanson and Detective William Grooms, of the Kansas City Police Department, Chief of Police Otto Read, of the McAlester Police Department, Oklahoma, and Special Agent Raymond Caffrey, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, were shot and killed. This ambush became known as the Kansas City Massacre. Please click here to read more about the Kansas City Massacre and the law enforcement officers killed.

Survivors

Survivors include his wife, parents, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MO-A881A664
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 Grooms gave the Kansas City Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City 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

Department Kansas City Police Department

Location Kansas City, MO

Platform Identity kcpd.jackson.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 17, 1933

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 1 mo

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle; Machine gun

Offender One executed

Military Service

William J. ""Red"" Grooms served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Detective William J. ""Red"" Grooms 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Kansas City Police Department, 72 of 120 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Kansas City Police Department

of 120 officers

60% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious