Roll of Honor
Peter Shemela
Incident
Patrolman Peter Shemela was killed in Warren, Pennsylvania when a three-inch military artillery shell exploded.
The shell had been found along the railroad tracks two weeks earlier and turned over to Patrolman Shemela. He was attempting to disassemble it inside of a toolshed in the Pennsylvania Railroad yards when it exploded, killing him instantly.
Patrolman Shemela was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and had served in the U.S. Navy before the war.
Survivors
He had served with the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department for three months and was survived by his parents, brother, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-C756374D- 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.
Patrolman Shemela served with the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphpia 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
Peter Shemela served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Peter Shemela 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department, 22 of 36 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Peter Shemela's cause is highlighted.
How Peter Shemela Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Peter Shemela is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
35 officers from Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
