Deputy Sproat was shot and killed when he and two other officers setup a roadblock near Tipton to stop three robbery suspects who were fleeing Davenport. One of the suspects opened fire with a machine gun as they ran the roadblock, striking Deputy Sproat in the chest.

One of the suspects was apprehended at his home in Ohio several days later. He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was paroled August 13, 1952.

The other two suspects, who were brothers, remained at large until 1936 when one, identified as the shooter, was apprehended in California. He was found guilty of first degree murder and executed in January of 1938. A few weeks after his execution the FBI discovered that his brother had committed suicide in Reading, California, on April 20, 1934.