Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Police Department, Railroad Police
End of Watch: Thursday, December 28, 1972
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 1 month
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 28, 1972
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Detective Duane Winkelman was shot and killed while conducting a routine check of a rail yard in East St. Louis, Illinois.
During the check, he and his partner observed a group of men stealing from a boxcar. Detective Winkelman chased one of the subjects through several neighborhood backyards and into the parking lot of a tavern in the Rush City neighborhood. The subject opened fire on him in the parking lot, striking him in the chest with a blast from a shotgun.
Detective Winkelman was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He had only served with the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Police Department for one month but had previously served with the Rock Island Railroad Police Department and Kansas City Police Department, Missouri.