Roll of Honor
William Etheldred Shoemaker
Incident
Fish Warden William Shoemaker succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained on August 25th, 1921, near Black's Bridge along Wyalusing Creek near Merryall. He and his son, who was acting as a Special Deputy Fish Warden, had arrested a man in LaRaysville and were returning home after appearing before the justice. They were driving on a road that paralleled Wyalusing Creek when they spotted a lantern light and two men in the creek at about 10:30 pm. Warden Shoemaker walked down to the creek leaving his son in the car. He found two suspects spearfishing without a license. He ordered both suspects out of the creek and followed the first man up the bank. As they walked up the bank, the second man grabbed Warden Shoemaker’s .38-caliber revolver and shot him in the back of the neck. The subject who shot him fled down the creek and through the woods. Warden Shoemaker’s son, thinking the gunfire was a distress signal, came down to the creek bank and was able to apprehend the first man who told him where Warden Shoemaker was. Along with some passersby, they were able to transport Deputy Shoemaker to a local doctor’s residence. He was then taken to a nearby hospital by train where it was determined he had suffered a severed spinal cord and was paralyzed from the neck down. Over the next month, he regained sensation in his shoulders and partial use of his arms. However, complications arose and Warden Shoemaker died early in the morning of September 22nd, 1921. The man who fired the shot surrendered the day after the shooting and was charged with first-degree murder following Warden Shoemaker's death. The man was convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to nine to ten years in prison, and fined $100. Fish Warden Shoemaker had served two years as a game warden with the Pennsylvania Game Commission before serving eighteen years as a Fish Warden with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. He was survived by his wife and two sons. Warden Shoemaker's son left law enforcement after that fatef
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-9E4A47D6- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Fish Warden Shoemaker gave the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Harrisburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Fish Warden Shoemaker.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Fish Warden William Etheldred Shoemaker 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 47.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 1 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Etheldred Shoemaker's cause is highlighted.
How William Etheldred Shoemaker Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Etheldred Shoemaker is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Etheldred Shoemaker was killed by officer's handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are honored on badge.nw.
