Erwin Walker
| William Erwin Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1918 |
| Died | 1982 |
| Other names | Paul C. Norris |
| Occupation | Police dispatcher, Chemist |
| Criminal penalty | Death (gas chamber) |
| Criminal status | Paroled (1974) |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (1947) |
William Erwin Walker, aka Erwin M. Walker and Machine Gun Walker (1918−1982) was a former police employee and World War II Army veteran remembered for a violent series of thefts, burglaries, and shootouts with police in Los Angeles County, California during 1945 and 1946. The movie He Walked by Night was loosely based on Walker's 1946 crime spree.
Not much is known about Walker's early life. He was born in 1918 to Weston and Irene L. Walker, and was raised in Glendale, California. Walker lived with his parents and a sister. Although nearsighted, Walker was a good athlete. He would later be described as "gentle, affectionate, considerate above the ordinary for the welfare of others, and [giving] no trouble in any way." Walker's father was a Los Angeles County flood control engineer, while his uncle Herbert V. Walker was a prominent Los Angeles lawyer and former Chief Deputy District Attorney. Walker graduated from the Hoover School and attended the California Institute of Technology for one year, excelling in electronics and radio engineering.
After he dropped out of Caltech, Walker worked as a radio operator and police dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department. During World War II, he was conscripted by Selective Service despite his poor eyesight because of his radio and electronics skills. Walker was stationed in Australia, where he attended the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) U.S. Army officer candidate school (OCS) at Camp Columbia, Wacol, Brisbane. In 1944, Walker graduated from OCS and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In June 1944, Walker received his first duty assignment to Wake Island. In November, he received orders transferring him to Leyte Island in the Philippines, where he was placed in charge of a Signal Corps radar detachment with 85 men. Walker was apparently well liked by the soldiers who worked with him, and he was reputed to be more than usually considerate of them.
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