Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Nelson was struck and killed by a vehicle while investigating a previous accident at West Warren Avenue and Greenfield Road. Officer Nelson was talking to the driver of another car when a third car struck that car and his patrol car. The female driver was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Survivors
Officer Nelson had served with the Detroit Police Department for 11 years and was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-9E768DE3- 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.
Police Officer Nelson gave the Detroit Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Nelson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Wayne W. Nelson 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 MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Wayne W. Nelson's cause is highlighted.
How Wayne W. Nelson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Wayne W. Nelson is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
