Roll of Honor
Incident
Location: Michigan Incident Date: Thursday, May 16, 1918 Weapon: Handgun Offender: Released in 1941
Railroad Detective Rody Goe, Railroad Detective Bernard Wozniak, and Railroad Detective George Ziemba were shot and killed in the Dearborn Yards, near Miller Road in Dearborn, Michigan, while they conducted surveillance with five other detectives.
Earlier in the day, a railroad worker had discovered a pile of stolen tires hidden in the railroad yards. The detectives were alerted and hid near the area to await the return of the thieves.
At approximately 10:00 pm four men were observed approaching the area carrying timber they were going to use to string the tires onto. When Detective Goe shined his light on them and told them to stop, the men immediately opened fire. Detective Goe, Detective Wozniak, and Detective Ziemba were mortally wounded and one other railroad detective non-life-threatening wounds. It is believed that Detective Wozniak was inadvertently struck by a shotgun blast fired by another detective as he ran up an embankment.
The other detectives returned fire but did not strike the suspects as they fled. Detective Wozniak succumbed to his wounds on May 20th, 1918, and Detective Ziemba succumbed to his on May 25th, 1918.
Two of the suspects were apprehended the following night. Both men were convicted of Detective Goe's murder and sentenced to life in prison. On July 24, 1922, one of the men escaped from the state prison in Jackson. He was recaptured on May 14, 1923, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both were released in 1941.
Detective Goe was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Detective Goe was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-B0DDBE79- 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.
Railroad Detective Goe served with the Michigan Central Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Railroad Detective Goe.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Railroad Detective Rody Goe 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 Michigan Central Railroad Police Department, 2 of 6 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. Rody Goe's cause is highlighted.
How Rody Goe Compares
Offender Outcome
Released in 1941
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Rody Goe is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Rody Goe was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Michigan Central Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
