Roll of Honor
William C. Downing
Incident
Special Policeman William Downing was accidentally shot and killed in the Union Pacific Railroad yards in Denver, Colorado.
He was attempting to board a boxcar between 22nd Street and 23rd Street when his revolver was accidentally discharged. The round pierced his badge and struck him in the chest, killing him instantly.
Special Policeman Downing was a U.S. Army veteran of the Spanish-American War and had served with the Union Pacific Railroad Police for five years.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents, brother, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-5638CDD6- 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.
Special Policeman Downing gave the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Omaha community. Thank you 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
William C. Downing served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Special Policeman William C. Downing 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 NE, 36 of 151 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.8% of this state's fallen. That is 7.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Union Pacific Railroad Police Department, 8 of 21 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 38.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William C. Downing's cause is highlighted.
How William C. Downing Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William C. Downing is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
20 officers from Union Pacific Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
