Iowa Concerns of Police Survivors

Detective William Goodenbour was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for forging a check at a local store. The suspect was shot and killed by Detective Goodenbour's partner.

Deputy Sheriff Nat Martin was killed when his service revolver accidentally discharged as he and a posse were pursuing two car thieves.

As Deputy Martin stepped out of his car he caught his revolver trigger against the door causing the revolver to fire, the bullet entering his arm and chest.

Deputy Martin had been appointed a deputy only three weeks before his death. He was survived by his wife and two children.

Deputy Sheriff Albert Patton was shot and killed by two men he was attempting to arrest for armed robbery. Both suspects were apprehended two days later in Phelps City, Missouri.

Both suspects were convicted of Deputy Patton's murder and sentenced to life. On August 3, 1922, one escaped from Fort Madison Penitentiary and was never recaptured. On May 7, 1935, the other subject's life sentence was commuted to 40 years.

Deputy Patton was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

Night Marshal John Myers was shot and killed when he interrupted the burglary of a bank in Stuart.

He had discovered five men inside of the First National Bank after they blew open the bank's vault. He exchanged shots with them as they attempted to flee. Marshal Myers was struck three times and bled to death as a result of his wounds.

The subjects fled back to Des Moines where their stolen vehicle was located. The subject identified as Marshal Myers' killer was apprehended in Omaha, Nebraska, May 3, 1923.

Marshal Myers had served with the Stuart Police Department for several years. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

Deputy Marshal John Conway was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man wanted for passing a forged check.

He and the town's night marshal located the man in the railroad yards prompting the man to flee. Deputy Marshal Conway caught the suspect but was shot three times in the ensuing struggle.

Deputy Marshal Conway was a WWI veteran.

Officer Wilson was off duty when he was shot and killed after joining the pursuit of an armed man who had entered a public library. A complaint was received about a man, who had threatened a group of boys playing ball on 9th Avenue. He pulled a gun on the boys when their baseball accidentally knocked his hat off. The suspect opened fire on Officer Wilson and two other officers when they confronted him in the Library. The other two officers were slightly wounded by gunfire as they subdued the suspect.

The suspect was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison September 12, 1921. He died in prison on May 24, 1940.

Officer Wilson had been with the agency for 12 years. He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

Special Officer Robert Murray was shot and killed four miles northeast of Council Bluffs, Iowa, while he and several other local and federal officers raided a farmhouse being used by bootleggers and rail thieves.

Officer Murray was guarding five men in one room and a Council Bluffs officer was guarding a woman and a man in a second room. The woman was able to slip a revolver to the man who opened fire, killing Officer Murray and wounding the Council Bluffs officer.

One of the men was shot and killed and all of the others were eventually apprehended. The woman was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 25 years. The man killed was her husband. She was paroled on December 29, 1931. Two other suspects convicted of murder were still in prison at the time of her parole. Another, convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 8 years, died in prison before his term ended.

Special Officer Murray had served with the agency for six years. He was survived by his parents, brother, and sister and is buried at Masonic Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.

Deputy Sheriff Lewis Jones was shot and killed during a period of strikes and civil unrest in the area of Leech Avenue and Chambers Street (modern-day Cunningham Drive) near the Sioux City Packing House.

He and other deputies were searching people in the streets for weapons when a man attacked another deputy. Deputy Jones was shot by the man as he chased him down the street. Other deputies returned fire and killed the subject.

Deputy Jones was survived by his father who served as the Sheriff at the time of his murder.

Special Policeman John Bousman was struck and killed by a train while patrolling the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad's bridge across the Mississippi River between Clinton, Iowa, and Illinois.

A passing train crew located his body on the Iowa side of the bridge.

Policeman Bousman was survived by his wife.

U.S. Game Warden Edgar Lindgren was shot and killed while checking the licenses of three hunters after observing the men shoot a bird out of season at Big Lake in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

When he asked to see their hunting licenses one of the men shot him in the chest with a shotgun. The other two hunters shot him at point-blank range as he lay bleeding on the ground. He succumbed to his wounds four days later.

All three of the suspects were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life.

Game Warden Lindgren was survived by his wife and infant son.

Special Agent Thomas Griffin was shot and killed while patrolling the Rock Island rail yard's in the area of SW 14th Street and Vine Street in Des Moines, Iowa, at approximately 8:00 pm.

He and another railroad detective were checking an area of tracks where frequent thefts occurred as trains staged outside of the switching yards. Agent Griffin observed two men stealing items from a boxcar and ordered them to halt. The men opened fire him, shooting with a .32 caliber handgun.

Both men were arrested, convicted of his murder, and sentenced to life in prison.

In December 1924 a subject was killed during a shootout with police in Mobile, Alabama, while fleeing New Orleans where he had murdered Patrolman Jacob Uhle during a bank robbery. The man had a hand written note confessing to Special Agent Griffin's murder in his possession, but an investigation was unable to determine if the man was ever in Des Moines and the convictions of both original subjects were upheld by the Supreme Court.

Special Agent Griffin had served with the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Police for several years. He was survived by his teenage daughter, sister, and three brothers. One of his brothers had previously served as the sheriff of Polk County, a second was also a special agent with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and the third was a captain in the Des Moines Fire Department..

Deputy Frank Smith was shot and killed when he and the sheriff responded to a domestic disturbance call. The suspect shot Deputy Smith before being shot and wounded by the sheriff. The suspect then committed suicide.

Deputy Smith had served with the agency for 10 years. He was survived by his wife.

Police Officer Allen Shoemaker was shot and killed while conducting a train check in Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Officer Shoemaker ran across nine men riding in the gondola car. Officer Shoemaker turned his flashlight on them and demanded to know what they were doing. One man drew a gun and shot Officer Shoemaker four times.

In 1930 a Texas inmate serving a seven year sentence confessed that he killed Officer Shoemaker and gave explicit details that convinced Iowa officials that he was his murderer. Iowa officials asked that he be returned, but for some unknown reason Texas officials refused.

Officer Shoemaker had served with the agency for four years. He was survived by his wife.

Patrolman Vinton Margretz was killed in a motorcycle crash on Reber Avenue, near Marsh Street, while responding to a call.

He was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained serious injuries. He was transported to Presbyterian Hospital, where he died approximately one hour later.

Patrolman Margretz was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War I. He had served with the Waterloo Police Department for a total of about 2 years on two separate occasions. He was survived by his wife.

Night Marshal Agnew was struck and killed by a truck while making his rounds during a rainstorm at about 10:00 pm.

Marshal Agnew had served with the Emmetsburg Police Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife and several children.

Marshal Frank Mommer was shot and killed when he interrupted two suspects attempting to break into a safe at a local drugstore. He confronted the two suspects inside the store but was shot in the stomach by one of them.

The two men fled the scene as local citizens came to Marshal Mommer's aid. He was taken to a hospital in Waterloo where he died the following day.

One of the suspects was apprehended several days later but the other suspect fled the area. The suspect who fled, who turned out to be the store owner's son, was apprehended in Vancouver, Washington, six years later. He was sentenced to life in prison on January 9, 1932. He was paroled September 3, 1952. The other suspect, also sentenced to life October 17, 1925, was paroled in 1941.

Patrolman Ollie Thomas was shot and killed while on duty. Another officer was on routine patrol when he heard a gunshot wound near 3rd and Locust. Knowing that Patrolman Thomas often parked his cruiser there, he rushed to the scene. He found Patrolman Thomas lying dead on the roof of a nearby building.

The suspect was eventually arrested in New Jersey and claimed he shot Patrolman Thomas during a domestic dispute. He was able to plea bargain for a lesser charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Patrolman Thomas had served with the Des Moines Police Department for two years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and son.

Deputy O. L. Case succumbed to a gunshot wound inflicted the previous day while he and the sheriff searched a suspicious car.

The car had crashed into a ditch and the three occupants refused help from any passersby. Local citizens became suspicious of this and called the sheriff to investigate. As the sheriff and Deputy Case examined the vehicle one of the occupants stepped from a near-by woods and opened fire, fatally wounding the deputy. It was discovered that illicit liquor was being transported in the vehicle.

Two suspects, arrested a short time later, each blamed the third suspect for the shooting. A week later the third suspect was shot and killed by a policeman in Omaha, Nebraska. The other two suspects were tried and acquitted.

Deputy Case was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Patrolman Gerald Pickett was killed in a motorcycle accident while on routine patrol. As he approahced an intersection, a sand truck turned directly in front of him. Patrolman Pickett struck the truck and sustained severe head and internal injuries. He succumbed to his injuries later in the evening.

Patrolman Pickett had served with the Des Moines Police Department for two years.

Jailer Leo Hemmer was shot and killed as he brought food to the prisoners he was guarding.

As Jailer Hemmer opened the door to a holding area to deliver food, he was jumped by three prisoners, one of who pulled a revolver out of his pocket and shot and killed Jailer Hemmer. It is unknown how the revolver was smuggled into the jail. One of the suspects was arrested later that day.

Three weeks later deputies surrounded a house in Clinton, Illinois, where Jailer Hemmer's killer and anther suspect were found to be hiding. The killer shot and killed himself. The other 20-year-old suspect surrendered. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. He was paroled on April 4, 1936.

Jailer Hemmer had been employed with the Dubuque County Sheriff's Department for eight months, and was survived by his wife, two children, his mother, and several brothers and sisters.

Sheriff Collings was shot and killed after informing a homeowner that part of his land was going to be taken through imminent domain for a road construction project. As the sheriff and a U.S. Marshal, who was accompanying him, left the property the homeowner shot the sheriff with a rifle. Sheriff Collings died the following day.

The suspect was sentenced to life in prison. He died in prison on Febuary 3, 1956.

Sheriff Collings had served with the Union County Sheriff's Department for 5 years. He was survived by his wife and three children.

Patrolman Edward Leeney was killed when his police motorcycle collided with a streetcar while he was chasing a Ford coupe.

He was thrown against the streetcar and then struck his head on the pavement several feet away. He suffered a skull fracture as a result of the crash and died 19 minutes later in a local hospital.

Patrolman Leeney was survived by his wife, three children, his mother, and two brothers.

Patrolman Johannes Koch was shot and killed as he and other officers attempted to arrest a bootlegger who had jumped bail.

He and his partner approached the subject and his wife as they returned to their car on Camanche Avenue, between 6th Street and 7th Street. The man pulled out a .45 caliber revolver and fired as Patrolman Koch attempted to grab it.

Both officers returned fire, wounding the subject and his wife. They were both taken into custody. The man was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in prison on November 9th, 1926. On April 8, 1928, he was found guilty in a federal court of violating the Dyer Act, ( the transportation of a stolen automobile from one state to another). In his case he was sentenced to serve three years in a federal prison for driving a stolen car from Chicago to Waterloo. He was to be transferred to a federal prison at the conclusion of his first sentence. He was released in August of 1931 and transferred to Leavenworth.

Patrolman Koch had served with the Clinton Police Department for four years. He was survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, and parents..

Deputy Sheriff Dewey Marshall was shot and killed while accompanying the sheriff of Sedalia, Pettis County, Missouri, to serve a warrant that had been issued on a man in Mitchellville, Iowa.

When the officers arrived at the man's rented farmhouse one-half mile northwest of Mitchellville, the man fatally shot Deputy Marshall and wounded the Pettis County sheriff. The man took Deputy Marshall's weapon and fled into a field.

The suspect, who was wanted on a hog stealing charge, surrendered himself to the sheriff ten days later. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on December 17th, 1926. He was paroled in January of 1960.

Deputy Marshall, a crack-shot WWI Army veteran, was survived by his wife and four-year-old daughter.

Captain Joseph Feely was shot and killed when he attempted to stop a 58-year-old man who was suspected of having a gun. The suspect shot Captain Feely in the head as the captain fired back striking the suspect in the hip.

The suspect was paroled from prison in 1921 after serving 12 years for murder. He was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison May 2, 1927. He died in prison on November 16, 1953.

Deputy McConnell succumbed to gunshot wounds received the previous day while attempting to arrest two bootleggers. Both suspects escaped.

In 1931 police discovered that one of the suspects had died in a Los Angeles, California, hospital of a stroke a few days before the discovery. The other suspect was captured in Albany, Missouri, June 25, 1941. He convinced the jury that his dead accomplice killed Deputy McConnell and was acquitted.

Patrolman James Staggs was killed in an accident while attempting to pull over a drunk driver.

He and another officer were transporting a prisoner to jail when they noticed a car weaving back and forth across the roadway. Thinking the driver was drunk they pulled next to his vehicle to tell him to pull over. The driver suddenly veered towards the police car, causing Patrolman Staggs to swerve into the path of an oncoming streetcar. Patrolman Staggs was killed almost instantly.

Patrolman Staggs had served with the Des Moines Police Department for five years.

Officer Geerts succumbed to gunshot wounds received three days earlier when he attempted to arrest two 16-year-olds he caught burglarizing the Naven Fuel Company. Both boys were arrested in Rock Island four days later.

Both suspects had escaped from the Home for Feeble Minded Children at Gleenwood. They were both convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in the Fort Madison Penitentiary. One was paroled in 1961 and the other in 1963.

Deputy Louis Dayton died as the result of being severely beaten while conducting an investigation into illegal liquor manufacturing behind a building. A suspect attacked and severely beat him. He was able to make it home where he died a short time later.

Deputy Dayton had served with the agency for 20 years.