Walter Awe

Grand Trunk Railroad Police Department — Detroit, MI

Felonious

End of Watch January 20, 1929

Age 39

The Vigil Panel 56 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 5

Incident

Location: Michigan Weapon: Officer's handgun Offender: Apprehended

Sergeant Walter Awe was shot and killed at 2:30 am while patrolling the company's rail yards near Goldner Street in Detroit, Michigan. Sergeant Awe was confronted by a man who attempted to rob him. The man overpowered him and shot him with his own service weapon.

In 1958 "Texas" Jim Baker, now age 51, serving a life sentence for a murder in New York, confessed to Sergeant Awe's murder. He had been in New York prisons since February 1930 for the murder of a fellow New York lab worker he forced to swallow cyanide on December 27, 1929. He also confessed to murders in New York, Ohio, Michigan, and other countries of 12 more men he either shot and killed or killed with cyanide. For a man with such a past no more information could be found about him beyond 1958. History refers to him as the forgotten serial killer.

Your heroism and service is honored today, the 83rd anniversary year of your death. Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. Thank you for your service. My cherished son Larry Lasater was a fellow police officer who was murdered in the the line of duty on April 24, 2005 while serving as a Pittsburg, CA police officer.

Time never diminishes respect. Your memory will always be honored and revered.

Rest In Peace.

Phyllis Loya Mom of fallen California Officer Larry Lasater, Pittsburg PD, eow 4/24/05 January 20th, 2012

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-646DA396
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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.
Sergeant Awe served with the Grand Trunk Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Awe.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Grand Trunk Railroad Police Department

Location Detroit, MI

Platform Identity gtrpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 20, 1929

Age 39

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Officer's handgun

Offender Apprehended

Sergeant Walter Awe 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 MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Grand Trunk Railroad Police Department, 5 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 83.3% of this agency's fallen.

Grand Trunk Railroad Police Department

of 6 officers

83.3% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious