Robbers Kill Detective Sergeant in 1920

On a cold January night in 1920, the deadliest year for St. Louis Police, kicked off violently.  Two not so-bright robbers attempted to rob one of the largest and bravest officers on the St. Louis Police Department.

St. Louis Police Detective Sergeant James Martin King was walking to his home at 4973 Lotus Avenue via N. Kingshighway Boulevard, when two robbers attempted to hold him up.  Instead of submitting to the robbery, Sgt. King pulled his revolver from his coat pocket and engaged in a gun battle with the robbers.

During the gun fight, Sgt. King was shot in the chest.  Although it looked initially like he might survive, pneumonia set in.  He died six days after being shot.  Sgt. King was the first St. Louis police officer killed in 1920.

Sgt. King supervised detectives out of the Carr Street Station.  He was on his way home, when he exited a street car at N. Kingshighway and Easton Avenue.  Sgt. King was walking north on the east side of the street.  In 1920 the sidewalk ended at Aldine Place, so he stepped into the median of N. Kingshighway.  It was about 10:45 p.m. on Monday, January 12, 1920.

When Sgt. King stepped into the median, two men emerged and ordered him to throw up his hands.  Sgt. King pulled out his service revolver and exchanged gun fire with the robbers.  Shocked by Sgt. King’s actions, the men continued shooting as they ran east on Aldine Place.

A bystander named Wernhoner heard the shots and ducked into a hallway to avoid the shooting.  Wernhoner then came to Sgt. King’s assistance.  Sgt. King tried to contact aid through the call box at N. Kingshighway and Easton Avenue but it was not working due to vandalism.

Wernhoner and a couple of pedestrians took Sgt. King to a tavern on the southwest corner of N. Kingshighway and Easton Avenue.   Help was summoned from the nearby Deer Street Station.

King was taken to St. John Hospital, where he died on Sunday, January 18, 1920 from pneumonia caused by the gunshot wound to the chest.  Several suspects were rounded up but his killers were never caught.

It is surprising the number of early St. Louis police officers, who were killed but their murderer was never caught.  The murderers of four of the eight St. Louis police officers killed in 1920 would not be caught.

King’s attackers were two white men between 18 and 23 years of age.  The taller was 5’08” and the shorter one was 5’05”.  They were lucky because they were not very bright.

Sgt. King was a large man.  According to the authors of the second edition of In the Line of Duty (set for release next Spring 2014), his father, “Big Bill” King was over 6’05” and 300 pounds, which is big even in modern times.  Sgt. King would not normally have been an attractive target for robbers.  Deciding to rob him shows how desperate the men were.

The newspaper lists Sgt. King’s age as 48 but his death certificate says he was born on June 12, 1874, which would have made him 46 years old.  He left a widow, Nellie King, and four children.

Unfortunately before the 1920 had passed, seven other St. Louis police officers would lose their life defending the citizens of the city.

Why do you think the men tried to rob Detective Sergeant King?  You can leave a comment or ask a question on my Facebook page and Twitter profile.

Pin It